A gene called TP53 is responsible for suppressing rogue cancer cells and is classified as a tumor suppressor gene. These genes are the opposite of oncogenes, which are genes that encourage cell growth. Ridley explains that the reason detecting cancer early is so important is that the more it progresses and the more the cells divide, the more mutations accumulate. Some cancer victims also carry mutations in mutator genes. Ridley explains that in various types of cancers TP53 is mutated very early, which is why chemotherapy and radiation therapy does not always work effectively in later stages of the disease.
Citation:
Ridley, Matt. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
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