ABSTRACT
Activating mutations in the dominant oncogenes may function through the transcriptional regulation of the modulator genes to expedite tumor progression, rather than through their better characterized effects on cell growth and transformation. Clark, who has spent a lifetime analyzing the histological changes that accompany this process, has suggested that neoplastic lesions can be divided into several classes that describe the pathological characteristics of tumor progression. Activating mutations in the dominant oncogenes may function through the transcriptional regulation of the modulator genes to expedite tumor progression, rather than through their better characterized effects on cell growth and transformation. Responsible for the development and evolution of most common solid cancers, the molecular basis of tumor progression remains little understood. It has become clear that each of the stages of tumor progression could arise as a consequence of genetic change, be it activation, mutation, or loss of individual genes.
