The Case for a Pre-Cancer Genome Atlas (PCGA)

Understanding the earliest molecular and cellular events associated with cancer initiation remains a key bottleneck to transforming our approach to cancer prevention and detection. While TCGA has provided unprecedented insights into the genomic events associated with advanced stage cancer, there hav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) Pa.), 2016-02, Vol.9 (2), p.119-124
Main Authors: Campbell, Joshua D, Mazzilli, Sarah A, Reid, Mary E, Dhillon, Samjot S, Platero, Suso, Beane, Jennifer, Spira, Avrum E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - genetics
Disease Progression
Genome, Human
Genomics - methods
Humans
Neoplasms - genetics
Precancerous Conditions - genetics
Precision Medicine
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Summary:Understanding the earliest molecular and cellular events associated with cancer initiation remains a key bottleneck to transforming our approach to cancer prevention and detection. While TCGA has provided unprecedented insights into the genomic events associated with advanced stage cancer, there have been few studies comprehensively profiling premalignant and early-stage disease or elucidating the role of the microenvironment in premalignancy and tumor initiation. In this article, we make a call for development of a "Pre-Cancer Genome Atlas (PCGA)," a concerted initiative to characterize the molecular alterations in premalignant lesions and the corresponding changes in the microenvironment associated with progression to invasive carcinoma. This initiative will require a multicenter coordinated effort to comprehensively profile (cellular and molecular) premalignant lesions and their corresponding "field of injury" collected longitudinally as the lesion progresses towards or regresses from frank malignancy across multiple tumor types. Genomic characterization of alterations in premalignant lesions and their microenvironment, for both bulk tissue and single cells, will enable development of biomarkers for early detection and risk stratification as well as allow for the development of novel targeted cancer interception strategies. The multi-institutional and multidisciplinary collaborative "big-data" effort underlying the PCGA will help usher in a new era of precision medicine for cancer detection and prevention.
ISSN:1940-6207
1940-6215
DOI:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-16-0024