Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

It is well known that environmental mutagens are associated with increased cancer risk. However, why cancers of different tissues tend to have their own specific collections of mutations remains unanswered. In a paper published in Nature Communications, Temko et al. from Benjamin Schuster-Böckler’s group have found that whilst mutational processes influence the spectrum of mutations in a cancer, the subsequent selection of certain mutations that give the cancer cell an advantage is also required to give the observed signatures.