The Genetics of Human Cancer.

The article focuses on the genetics of human cancer. German zoologist Theodor Boveri formulated the somatic mutation hypothesis of the origin of cancer. According to Boveri's theory, the promordial cell of a malignant growth is a somatic cell that contains an abnormal process of a definite and wrongly combined chromosome complex. He recognized the importance of environmental factors such as chemical carcinogens and ionizing radiation as triggering agents in malignant transformation.