Evolutionary History of 2,658 Cancers Shows Promise for Early Detection

A group of scientists, as part of the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) conducted whole-genome sequencing analysis of 2,658 tumors representing 38 types of cancer. Sequencing a single tumor biopsy is like taking a snapshot of the process, but by taking this wide approach, they were able to gain insights into the timing of the progression of various cancers.