Cancer Genomics
The connection between cancer and DNA
More than 10,000 people die from cancer every year in Malaysia. The incidence of cancer is expected to rise as the population ages. Many scientists, including here in Malaysia are working hard to understand why and how cancer develop and ultimately, to conquer cancer.
DNA (deoxyribonucleicacid) is the chemical carrying instructions that tell cells what to do. When those instructions have mistakes, cell will function abnormally such as growing out of control, causing damage to surrounding tissues and causes cancer. These mistakes in DNA (known as mutations) can be inherited or acquired by environmental or lifestyle factors such as smoking. Always, cancer is resulted from several different mutations that happen to DNA.
