Genome Instability and Mutation

Changes in the DNA play a key role in the initiation and progression of cancer. Those changes that lead to the transformation of a normal cell into a tumor cell can be induced by several factors such as ionizing radiation, oncogenic viruses, or chemical carcinogens. However, as documented in a study published by Tomasetti and Vogelstein (2015), the vast majority of cancer risk is related to random mutations that arise during DNA replication in normal, noncancerous cells. Only about one-third of the risk is related to environmental factors or innate predisposition.