Cancer is a polygenic disease arising from the accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic defects in the affected cells. For the majority of cancers, including many malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, our current means of diagnosis and treatment of the tumors are grossly insufficient. DNA arrays offer the possibility to monitor the expression levels of thousands of mRNA transcripts simultaneously in a single assay, making them ideal tools to study the complex network of transcriptional changes that are associated with the malignant transformation of normal cells. Expression profiling analyses are rapidly expanding our knowledge of tumor cell biology, laying the basis for the development of more sophisticated diagnostic procedures and more effective treatment modalities. This review will discuss current applications and future perspectives of DNA array technology in oncological research and tumor patient management.
Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel