The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network has profiled and analyzed large numbers of human tumors to discover molecular aberrations at the DNA, RNA, protein and epigenetic levels. The resulting rich data provide a major opportunity to develop an integrated picture of commonalities, differences and emergent themes across tumor lineages. The Pan-Cancer initiative compares the first 12 tumor types profiled by TCGA. Analysis of the molecular aberrations and their functional roles across tumor types will teach us how to extend therapies effective in one cancer type to others with a similar genomic profile.
- What is the spectrum of nucleotide- and dinucleotide-level changes associated with
different carcinogenic etiologies (for example, tobacco, pathogens or inflammation)
operating in different parts of the body? - Will integration of additional data sources, including additional tumor types from TCGA
and other projects, increase the power of analysis in useful ways? - How can characterization based on molecular changes complement pathological
analysis for classification of cancers into tumor lineages with potentially different
clinical management? - Can molecular profiles effectively categorize cancers for therapeutic decision-making?
- Are there predictive expression-based signatures for genomic events that transcend
tissues, reflecting pathways disrupted by the alterations?
The collection of papers is interesting. However it does point to the ever growing complexity of the cancers we study. What appeared as just a process understanding paths is but one of many layers of complexity.
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