Seminar 12 - Cancer Heterogeneity

Question 1

Outline the predominant applications of genome sequencing.

Answer 1

1. Structural variants
2. Point mutation
3. Copy number variations

Question 2

Outline the predominant applications of whole-exome sequencing.

Answer 2

1. Point mutations

2. CNVs

Question 3

What is the exome? What percentage does it comprise of the genome?

Answer 3

The exome is the coding region of DNA. It comprises approximately 1% of the entire genome.

Question 4

What is cancer heterogeneity?

Answer 4

Different cancer cells show distinct properties:

1. Morphology
2. Motility
3. Metabolism
4. Proliferation
5. Metastatic proliferation
6. Gene expression
7. Genetic/genomic alterations

Question 5

What is heterogeneity between tumours called?

Answer 5

Inter-tumour or inter-patient heterogeneity

Question 6

What is heterogeneity within tumours called?

Answer 6

Intra-tumour or intra-patient heterogeneity

Question 7

On the basis of what factors can cancers be divided into different subtypes?

Answer 7

1. Histology
2. Driver mutations
3. Origin

Question 8

What are actionable mutations?

Answer 8

A subset of mutations that bear therapeutic implications in a subset of cancer patients and for specific therapies