In 2005, the NIH initiated the $376 million Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) that has successfully identified new cancer genes from 500 samples from more than 20 cancer types. As the project nears its close, investigators are faced with deciding in which direction to proceed. A study by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard analyzed 4,742 samples representing 21 cancer types, both from the Broad and TCGA. In contrast to previous approaches, they examined several cancer types at once, finding some of the previously identified genes as well as many novel candidate genes. Using this type analysis, they calculated that identification of the cancer genes from the 50 most common types of cancer would require the analysis of 100,000 samples. There is some debate as to the value of such a study compared to further examining genes already known to be factors in the disease.

Source: The New York Times