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. 1998 Jun;106(Suppl 3):801–806. doi: 10.1289/ehp.98106801

Genetic predispositions and childhood cancer.

K Shannon 1
PMCID: PMC1533076  PMID: 9646040

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the problem of genetic susceptibility to childhood cancer with a particular emphasis on problems with ascertaining inherited cancer risk and the role of tumor-suppressor gene mutations in cancer predispositions. The association between neurofibromatosis type 1 and childhood leukemia is used to illustrate some of the issues faced by molecular biologists and genetic epidemiologists in identifying and analyzing at-risk individuals. The problem of incomplete penetrance in cancer susceptibility is presented and potential models are discussed. The article concludes with a number of tentative conclusions from existing data and speculations for future studies.

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Selected References

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