Cancer: a global response to a global problem

Abstract

The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) is set to tackle the genetic make-up of human cancers by taking a global approach to hunt for major gene mutations. The ultimate aim is to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer around the world. Indeed, cancer represents a health problem of alarming proportions. By 2050 it is estimated that more than 27 million cancer cases per year will be diagnosed, with 17·5 million deaths. The ICGC project is the oncology equivalent of the Human Genome Project. Thanks to fast DNA sequencing technology and high-density genotyping, US$1 billion spent over a decade on the study of 25 000 tumour samples is expected to allow classification of 50 major tumour types according to profiles of genetic mutations. This information should in the future improve clinicians' ability to identify tumour types and to tailor treatment with chemotherapeutic and targeted drugs. Funded by member nations, the ICGC project will take place in Canada, USA, Britain, France, India, China, Japan, Singapore, and Australia and will use the European Commission as an observer. The Consortium Secretariat and data coordination centre will be based in Toronto at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, and the US National Cancer Institute and National Human Genome Research Institute, known for the Cancer Genome Project and Cancer Genome Atlas, respectively, will continue to work independently but plan to contribute data to ICGC. Data gathered by the ICGC will be available for immediate dissemination to the global research community. ICGC constitutes an example of how the international community can coordinate enormous resources to pursue an existing global health problem. This remains a very ambitious project, however, partly because acquisition of high-quality tumour samples has always been a challenge. Perhaps the most difficult task will be to regain the trust of the public and funders that another global gene hunting experiment will this time deliver what is expected within the 10-year goal.