Cancer genetics
Oncogenes, tumour suppressors, hereditary syndromes and biomarkers.
12 pages
Topics
- Oncogenes and tumour suppressor genesCancer arises from mutations that speed up division (oncogenes) or remove its brakes (tumour…
- Oncogenes: RAS, MYC, HER2, BCR-ABL and the table to knowOncogenes are growth genes stuck in the ‘on’ position
- Tumour suppressor genes: RB, TP53, APC, BRCA and the two-hit hypothesisTumour suppressors are the cell's brakes
- Genomic instability: mismatch repair, BRCA and xeroderma pigmentosumWhen DNA repair fails, mutations pile up much faster
- Translocations, amplifications and epigenetic changes in cancerBesides point mutations, cancers swap chromosome pieces, copy genes many times and silence genes…
- Hereditary cancer syndromes: the table to knowA few families inherit a faulty cancer gene
- Precision oncology: driver mutations, biomarker testing and liquid biopsyTesting a tumour's genes can show which targeted drug may work
Conditions and syndromes
- Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (BRCA1/BRCA2)Inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants that sharply raise the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and…
- Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer)An inherited tendency to colon, endometrial and other cancers caused by faults in the genes that…
- RetinoblastomaRetinoblastoma is a cancer of the retina in young children
- Xeroderma pigmentosumAn inherited disease in which skin cannot repair sun damage: easy burns, freckles and skin…
- Chronic myeloid leukaemiaChronic myeloid leukaemia is a bone-marrow cancer driven by the Philadelphia chromosome…
This section is an index: it gathers pages from Biochemistry, Pathology, Embryology and other sections without repeating them. Educational content; it does not replace a geneticist's assessment or genetic counselling.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.