In this talk, biomedical scientist Charles Sawyers discusses how genetic data reveal common mutations in cancer and can help uncover shared genetic mechanisms among different cancer types.

By sequencing the genomes of thousands of tumor samples, scientists have identified approximately 140 genes that are mutated in cancer. These genes typically affect one of three main cellular processes: cell growth and survival, cell fate, and genome maintenance. Cancers can now be classified not only by the types of tissue and cells that they affect, but also by the genes that are mutated. As Sawyers reveals, both types of classification are necessary for devising targeted therapies.

This talk is from a 2013 Holiday Lecture Series, Medicine in the Genomic Era.