Only three driver gene mutations are required for the development of lung and colorectal cancers
Abstract
The number of driver events required for human tumorigenesis has remained one of the fundamental issues in cancer research since the seminal studies of Armitage and Doll. This question has become even more important with the recent genome-wide sequencing studies of cancer, whose major goal is the identification of the driver genes responsible for tumor initiation and progression. By using a novel approach that combines conventional epidemiologic studies with genome-wide sequencing data, we show that only three sequential mutations are required to develop lung and colon adenocarcinomas, a number that is lower than what is typically thought to be required for the formation of cancers of these and other organs. This finding has important implications for the design of future cancer genome-sequencing efforts.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1421839112
- Bibcode:
- 2015PNAS..112..118T