Tumor Archaeology Reveals that Mutations Love Company

Two studies by Nik-Zainal et al. and a study by Roberts et al. now provide new insights into the life span of human tumors and the mutational processes that shape the cancer genome. The bulk of a tumorʹs life span is shown to involve the development of subclones, many of which harbor mutations that are clustered in subchromosomal regions and appear to result from catastrophic mutational events.