Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research
Outstanding questions plaguing oncologists, centred around tumour evolution and heterogeneity, include the development of treatment resistance, immune evasion, and optimal drug targeting strategies. Such questions are difficult to study in limited cancer tissues collected during a patient’s routine...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/3/409 |
| _version_ | 1797408418229649408 |
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| author | Tamsin Joy Robb Rexson Tse Cherie Blenkiron |
| author_facet | Tamsin Joy Robb Rexson Tse Cherie Blenkiron |
| author_sort | Tamsin Joy Robb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Outstanding questions plaguing oncologists, centred around tumour evolution and heterogeneity, include the development of treatment resistance, immune evasion, and optimal drug targeting strategies. Such questions are difficult to study in limited cancer tissues collected during a patient’s routine clinical care, and may be better investigated in the breadth of cancer tissues that may be permissible to collect during autopsies. We are starting to better understand key tumour evolution challenges based on advances facilitated by autopsy studies completed to date. This review article explores the great progress in understanding that cancer tissues collected at autopsy have already enabled, including the shared origin of metastatic cells, the importance of early whole-genome doubling events for amplifying genes needed for tumour survival, and the creation of a wealth of tissue resources powered to answer future questions, including patient-derived xenografts, cell lines, and a wide range of banked tissues. We also highlight the future role of these programmes in advancing our understanding of cancer evolution. The research autopsy provides a special opportunity for cancer patients to give the ultimate gift—to selflessly donate their tissues towards better cancer care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:59:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-186a2dfaa476481db396c0c4c2044e2b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:59:11Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-186a2dfaa476481db396c0c4c2044e2b2023-12-03T14:15:57ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942021-01-0113340910.3390/cancers13030409Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution ResearchTamsin Joy Robb0Rexson Tse1Cherie Blenkiron2Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1051, New ZealandDepartment of Forensic Pathology, LabPLUS, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland 1051, New ZealandDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1051, New ZealandOutstanding questions plaguing oncologists, centred around tumour evolution and heterogeneity, include the development of treatment resistance, immune evasion, and optimal drug targeting strategies. Such questions are difficult to study in limited cancer tissues collected during a patient’s routine clinical care, and may be better investigated in the breadth of cancer tissues that may be permissible to collect during autopsies. We are starting to better understand key tumour evolution challenges based on advances facilitated by autopsy studies completed to date. This review article explores the great progress in understanding that cancer tissues collected at autopsy have already enabled, including the shared origin of metastatic cells, the importance of early whole-genome doubling events for amplifying genes needed for tumour survival, and the creation of a wealth of tissue resources powered to answer future questions, including patient-derived xenografts, cell lines, and a wide range of banked tissues. We also highlight the future role of these programmes in advancing our understanding of cancer evolution. The research autopsy provides a special opportunity for cancer patients to give the ultimate gift—to selflessly donate their tissues towards better cancer care.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/3/409cancer evolutionheterogeneitytissue bankingautopsyrapid autopsytreatment resistance |
| spellingShingle | Tamsin Joy Robb Rexson Tse Cherie Blenkiron Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research Cancers cancer evolution heterogeneity tissue banking autopsy rapid autopsy treatment resistance |
| title | Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research |
| title_full | Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research |
| title_fullStr | Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research |
| title_short | Reviving the Autopsy for Modern Cancer Evolution Research |
| title_sort | reviving the autopsy for modern cancer evolution research |
| topic | cancer evolution heterogeneity tissue banking autopsy rapid autopsy treatment resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/3/409 |
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