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. 2016 Apr 15;76(8):2057-9.
doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0794.

Human Cancers Express a Mutator Phenotype: Hypothesis, Origin, and Consequences

Lawrence A Loeb  1
Affiliations

Human Cancers Express a Mutator Phenotype: Hypothesis, Origin, and Consequences

Lawrence A Loeb. Cancer Res. .

Abstract

The mutator phenotype hypothesis was postulated more than 40 years ago. It was based on the multiple enzymatic steps required to precisely replicate the 6 billion bases in the human genome each time a normal cell divides. A reduction in this accuracy during tumor progression could be responsible for the striking heterogeneity of malignant cells within a tumor and for the rapidity by which cancers become resistant to therapy. Cancer Res; 76(8); 2057-9. ©2016 AACRSee related article by Loeb et al. Cancer Res. 1974;34:2311-21.

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Conflict of interest statement

of Potential Conflicts of Interest No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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