Insights into the development of cancer
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Nature Collections Cancer
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CITING THE COLLECTION
All papers have been previously published in
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NATURE COLLECTIONS CANCER 1
The development of cancer is an evolutionary process 2 Efficient tumour formation by
that is driven by multiple genetic and epigenetic changes. single human melanoma cells
Recent years have seen an explosion of studies that Quintana, E. et al.
systematically catalogue these changes to provide an Nature 456, 593–598 (2008)
overview of the number and type of mutations that drive
tumorigenesis. The first individual cancer genome was 8 Epigenetic silencing of
tumour suppressor gene p15 by
revealed last year and many more are likely to follow.
its antisense RNA
It has emerged that human tumours are genetically
Yu, W. et al.
more heterogeneous and complex than expected. It
Nature 451, 202–206 (2008)
is also becoming increasingly apparent that there is
considerable genetic and functional heterogeneity among 13 Metabolomic profiles
the cancer cells within each tumour. The cancer stem-cell delineate potential role for
hypothesis, for example, suggests that many cancer types sarcosine in prostate cancer
are driven by a distinct subset of tumour cells, much as progression
normal stem cells maintain a tissue. Although it remains Sreekumar, A. et al.
controversial, an important implication of this concept Nature 457, 910–914 (2009)
is that cancers can be eradicated only if such cancer stem
cells are eliminated by therapy. 18 Regulation of ERBB2
Tumorigenesis also involves complex interactions of by oestrogen receptor–PAX2
cancer cells with each other and their microenvironments, determines response to tamoxifen
Hurtado, A. et al.
such as neighbouring stromal cells or the blood vessels
Nature 456, 663–666 (2008)
that supply oxygen and nutrients. Similarly complex are
Corrigendum, Nature 457, 1168
the mechanisms that regulate the formation of metastases, (2009)
which are ultimately responsible for most cancer deaths.
With a better understanding of the processes that 22 Carcinoma-produced factors
underlie the development of cancer and malignant activate myeloid cells through
progression, researchers seek to translate these insights TLR2 to stimulate metastasis
into therapeutic advances, including the search for novel Kim, S. et al.
biomarkers that allow earlier diagnosis and improved Nature 457, 102–106 (2009)
monitoring of the disease, and can inform better
therapeutic choices for individual cancer patients. 27 Comprehensive genomic
In this special collection, we are pleased to present a characterization defines human
selection of recent papers published in Nature that yield glioblastoma genes and core
pathways
insights into the genetic and epigenetic basis of human
Cancer Genome Atlas Research
cancers, the biological processes that drive cancer
Network
progression and the efforts to translate such findings into
Nature 455, 1061–1068 (2008)
potential clinical applications.
We hope that these studies prove to be both informative 35 DNA sequencing of a
and stimulating. Further related material is available in cytogenetically normal acute
the online version of this collection. myeloid leukaemia genome
We are pleased to acknowledge the support of Ley, T. J. et al.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Asterand, Cephalon, Nature 456, 66–72 (2008)
Genentech and Biogen Idec in producing this reprint
collection. As always, Nature Publishing Group carries 42 Somatic mutations affect key
sole responsibility for the editorial content. pathways in lung adenocarcinoma
Ding, L. et al.
Barbara Marte, Senior Editor, Nature Nature 455, 1069–1075 (2008)