Roads Leading to Breast Cancer

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Abstract
Cancer results from the accumulation of mutations in genes that regulate cellular proliferation. These mutations can occur early in the process of malignant transformation or later, during progression to an invasive carcinoma. The earliest mutations occur in the germ line, as in the case of cancer-prone families. In these instances, the inheritance of a mutated allele is commonly followed by the loss of the second allele from a somatic cell, leading to the inactivation of a tumor-suppressor gene and triggering malignant transformation. A classic example is hereditary retinoblastoma, in which there is inheritance of a mutant germ-line RB1 allele (a . . .