Alterations in TP53 gene – Implications in Tumorigenesis Process and Prognosis in Central Nervous System Cancer

Abstract

Central nervous systems (CNS) malignancies, as others cancers, are formed by the uncontrol‐ led cell growth that involves the sequential accumulation of alterations in genes controlling cell proliferation, lifespan, responses to stress, relationships with neighbors, and gene homeo‐ stasis. These genetic alterations can be achieved by intragenic mutations, chromosome alterations or epigenetics modifications, all playing important role in the activation or inactivation of key genes, such as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Some of these mutations can be most frequently encountered in specific cancers or group of cancers and correlated with tumor biologic behavior and have implications on diagnosis, prognosis or treatment [1].