Molecular Analysis of Cancer: An Overview

Cancer is a complex disease occurring as a result of a progressive accumulation of genetic aberrations and epigenetic changes that enable escape from normal cellular and environmental controls (1 ). Neoplastic cells may have numerous acquired genetic abnormalities including aneuploidy, chromosomal rearrangements, amplifications, deletions, gene rearrangements, and loss-offunction or gain-of-function mutations. Recent studies have also highlighted the importance of epigenetic alterations of certain genes that result in the inactivation of their functions in some human cancers. These aberrations lead to the abnormal behavior common to all neoplastic cells: dysregulated growth, lack of contact inhibition, genomic instability, and propensity for metastasis.