A waiting time problem arising from the study of multi-stage carcinogenesis

Abstract

We consider the population genetics problem: how long does it take before some member of the population has m specified mutations? The case m = 2 is relevant to onset of cancer due to the inactivation of both copies of a tumor suppressor gene. Models for larger m are needed for colon cancer and other diseases where a sequence of mutations leads to cells with uncontrolled growth. © Institute of Mathematical Statistics, 2009.