The complexity of the disease is confusing and produces anxiety. The physician treats the cancer according to appearance of the biopsy and the extent of the disease. At the UC Davis Cancer Center, teams of physicians diagnose and treat a vast array of cancer patients. University of California scientists now know that cancer is the result of mutations in genes that control the growth and development of the cell. Mutations in these suppressor genes allow the uncontrolled growth of the cell and eventually lead to cancer.
Many cancers produce too much growth factor.
Cancer is not the result of a single mutation but a progressive, multi-step condition. When identified early, these cancers can be cured. As more mutations occur in the tumor cells, the cancer progressed to become more malignant or life threatening. These diagnostic techniques provide the physician with important information. For example, more rapid death occurs when the oncogene myc is increased in lung cancer or the oncogene HER-2 is amplified in breast cancer.