Cancer cytogenetics: a review

ABSTRACT

According to the national registry at the Ministry of Health, cancer is the second cause of death in Sudan. Worldwide, one in three persons develops cancer at some time during their lives, and one in four dies from this disease. Today, it is widely accepted that cancer arises through a multistep accumulation of inherited and/or acquired mutations of the genetic material leading to clonal selection of neoplastically transformed cells showing unrestrained proliferation and the ability to infiltrate locally and to set up distant metastases. Many of the genetic alterations acquired by neoplastic cells are visible as chromosomal aberrations which are clearly nonrandom in distribution and sometimes occur in highly specific pattern. These chromosome aberrations are therefore highly informative with regard to the pathogenetic events of carcinogenesis, and their identification and classification have proved to be of great diagnostic and prognostic value for patients with malignant disorders. Cancer cytogenetic was recently introduced in Sudan, however it is not yet full valued and thus used by Sudanese physician in the diagnosis and management of patients with hematological malignancies, bone and soft tissue tumors. The present article reviews the importance of cancer cytogenetic and its role in clinical practice