RT Book, Section A1 Bunz, Fred A1 Vogelstein, Bert A2 Jameson, J. Larry A2 Fauci, Anthony S. A2 Kasper, Dennis L. A2 Hauser, Stephen L. A2 Longo, Dan L. A2 Loscalzo, Joseph SR Print(0) ID 1156505185 T1 Cancer Genetics T2 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 20e YR 2018 FD 2018 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259644016 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1156505185 RD 2024/03/29 AB Cancer arises through a series of somatic alterations in DNA that result in unrestrained cellular proliferation. Most of these alterations involve subtle sequence changes in DNA (i.e., mutations). The somatic mutations may originate as a consequence of random replication errors or exposure to carcinogens (e.g., radiation) and can be exacerbated by faulty DNA repair processes. While most cancers arise sporadically, clustering of cancers occurs in families that carry a germline mutation in a cancer gene.