A few years ago I did an analysis on common chromosomal deletions in ovarian cancers. I was hoping to find some sort of "required" genetic or metabolic structure retained by the various cell lines. Nada. It was just a big unrelated mess and deemed not interesting enough to write up by my advisor. I wish there was a Journal of Dishearteningly Negative Results.
It makes sense to me. I once read a lung cell has to evade seven different anti-cancer mechanisms to become a malignant stem. If there are ten different ways to get around each defense, that would mean ten million different possible configurations of lung cancer, with all the therapeutic headaches that implies.
Edit: And that's just for one cell type out of the myriad that compose a functioning lung.
