ABSTRACT
The exponential growth in research on the molecular biology of cancer that has occurred over the past few years has provided us with significant new insights into the fundamental nature and complexities of the neoplastic process. The previously distinct fields of viral oncogenesis, chemical carcinogenesis, cytogenetics, and molecular genetics have converged dramatically around the central unifying concept of the oncogene. Despite this impressive step forward in understanding of basic mechanisms, clinical oncology in general has yet to benefit significantly from these advances. However, clinical correlations are now being made and in the case of neuroblastoma at least, these promise to bear directly upon the management of the cancer patient. In the discussion that follows, we shall briefly review some of the essential facts about oncogenes in general, in order to provide a suitable context for a more detailed consideration of N-myc and its role in pediatric tumors.
