Framework Developed to Help Determine Timeline of Cancer Mutations

Researchers at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center studying cancer evolution have created a framework to help determine which tool combinations are best for pinpointing the exact timing of DNA mutations in cancer genomes. The study was published in Nature Communications.

There are currently many different algorithms that researchers have developed to help determine the timing of mutations, but until now, it has been unclear which algorithm will work best for which cancer, and what common biases influence their results.

The study assessed 22 different pipelines for timing mutations in cancer genomes. Researchers tested the algorithms on a cohort of nearly 300 clinical prostate cancer samples to evaluate each pipeline and see how their results differed in various aspects. This allowed the team to see the variability across tools and have an unbiased view of how each performed.

The framework developed in the study can help researchers decide which tool would be the most accurate for their case and generate a more personalized and targeted treatment plan for patients, minimizing the risk of cancer coming back in the future.