Cancers are diseases of the genome. They can result from minor changes to single or a few base pairs, known as mutations, or from larger structural changes to the genome, including how it is packaged into chromosomes and manipulated by other molecules. Understanding how things have gone wrong in specific cancers can help scientists develop better prognostic tools and treatment strategies.
February 4 is World Cancer Day—a global initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control. Patients, families, communities, clinicians, researchers and others are joining together to raise awareness and to act.
Here at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at BC Cancer, we are making significant strides in realizing the benefit of genomics in researching, understanding, diagnosing and treating cancer.
Gene expression analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumours enables clinicians to stratify patients into molecular subgroups and select treatments that are best suited to each type; however, molecular subtyping remains cost-prohibitive and is not yet part of routine cancer care.
Large-scale genome sequencing initiatives frequently rely on datasets provided by different sequencing centres, all of which may employ different laboratory protocols, instruments and analytical methods that may introduce disparities in the data produced. When combining datasets generated at different institutions, how do researchers ensure consistency between datasets?