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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2006;296:1825-1826.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Scientists have analyzed the genetic code for breast and colorectal cancers, finding close to 200 key mutated genes within these cancers (Sjöblom T et al. Sciencexpress. doi:10.1126/science.1133427 [published online September 7, 2006]).

History has shown that simply revealing a cancer's genetic cause—for example, certain well-known mutations within the p53 gene—does not often lead to a cure. But the researchers are confident that finding the genes associated with tumor initiation, growth, and spread can lay the groundwork for studies that could lead to better diagnostics and treatments.

The number of potentially relevant genes identified was surprisingly high. "We expected to find a handful of genes, not 200," said Tobias Sjöblom, PhD, a lead author and postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, in Baltimore, Md. The findings can now be used as a starting point for many cancer-probing research projects.

CANCERS’ CODES

Taking 11 samples each from . . . [Full Text of this Article]