PLoS Genet. 5, e1000719 (2009)

A large-scale survey of gene loss or gain in cervical cancer has flagged more than 50 potential genetic drivers of the disease.

Heidi Lyng and her colleagues at the Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo screened tumours from 102 patients with cervical cancer to look for changes in gene-copy numbers and expression profiles. They found 57 candidate genes that were frequently gained or lost and which were linked to various well-known tumour-promoting processes, such as carbohydrate metabolism and avoiding cell suicide. They also discovered some novel genes tied to resistance to chemoradiotherapy.