Fig. 2.

Rate and challenges of cancer genomics studies with sequenced tumors. a Sequenced and publically available cancer genomics studies per year. The data contains cancer genomics studies with a total of more than 20,000 whole exome sequenced or whole genome sequenced tumor specimens. Exponential trend lines are based on current approximate slope. Extrapolated data indicated by dashed line. b Exponential increase and trend lines of whole genome and whole exome sequenced specimens per year for melanoma and studies across all tissues (Pan-cancer). c Melanoma specimens with high mutational burden carry numerous somatic alterations and require somatic mutation calls at high frequency. Depending on cancer tissue, cohort size, and mutational burden, the dynamic range of somatic mutation calls can span several orders of magnitude. Average trend lines are shown for different cancers tissues with low (cyan), medium (blue), and high (purple) mutational burden. Despite the fact that the currently available melanoma cohort covers less than a tenth of all cancer tissues, the data demands of somatic mutation calls in melanoma genomics are equally challenging to that of other current cancer genomics studies combined