Role of Genes in Pediatric Cancer Cancers are genetic diseases,
triggered by harmful changes, or mutations, in the DNA of normal
cells. The human genetic instruction book is written in the
four-letter alphabet of the DNA moleculeóA, T, C, and G. Cells
can accumulate misspellings, or mutations, in that instruction
book. These mutations remove regulatory controls, allowing cells
to multiply and spread unchecked. Every cancer arises from a
series of mutations, each of which alters a normal biological
process in the cell and leads to the transformation of a normal
cell to a malignant cell. These mutations occur among the 3
billion DNA base pairs of the human genome; and until now
scientists have been unable to identify the great majority of
such mutations because technology has limited their ability to
quickly assess the entire genome. Only 350 of an estimated 2,000
cancer genes have been found and as a result, the genetic causes
of most cancers remain elusive. Many geneticists suspect it
typically takes a relati