Mapping the cancer genome - Pinpointing the genes involved in cancer will help chart a new course across the complex landscape of human malignancies

Pinpointing the genes involved in cancer will help chart a new course across the complex landscape of human malignancies. Changes in the structure or activity of genes underlie the malignant behavior of many cancer cells. The Cancer Genome Atlas is a monumental initiative to eventually identify all the genetic alterations in different forms of cancer so that gene changes driving disease can be targeted directly. Identification of the genes involved is already advancing diagnosis and treatment.