THE accidental “switching off” of key genes could be at least as important a
cause of cancer as mutations, many researchers now believe. If they’re right,
the answer is to turn them back on—and trials of drugs that might do this
are already under way.
The traditional view is that cancer is caused by a series of mutations in
tumour suppressor genes. Different mutations are involved in different cancers,
but at some point enough accumulate in one cell to knock out the vital
mechanisms that prevent runaway cell division.
In an increasing number of cancers, however, studies are showing…
