A waiting time problem arising from the study of multi-stage carcinogenesis

Authors
Durrett, Rick Schmidt, Deena Schweinsberg, Jason
Citation
Durrett, Rick et al., A waiting time problem arising from the study of multi-stage carcinogenesis, Annals of applied probability , 19(2), 2009, pp. 676-718
Journal title
Annals of applied probability → ACNP
ISSN journal
10505164
Volume
19
Issue
2
Year of publication
2009
Pages
676 - 718
Database
ACNP
SICI code
Abstract
We consider the population genetics problem: how long does it take before some member of the population has m specified mutations? The case m=2 is relevant to onset of cancer due to the inactivation of both copies of a tumor suppressor gene. Models for larger m are needed for colon cancer and other diseases where a sequence of mutations leads to cells with uncontrolled growth.