Cancer Genomics Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
FFPE FFPE
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples commonly used for histopathological examination and molecular analysis.
CPS
Combined Positive Score, a PD-L1 scoring method including both tumor and immune cell expression.
ctDNA
Cell-free tumor DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream that can be analyzed for cancer monitoring and diagnosis.
dMMR
Deficient Mismatch Repair, indicating loss of function in DNA mismatch repair proteins.
epistatic interaction
The phenomenon where the effect of one genetic variant is modified or masked by the presence of variants in other genes...
exome capture
A targeted enrichment technique that selectively isolates protein-coding sequences (exons) from genomic DNA prior to seq...
FFPE
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples commonly used for histopathological examination and molecular analysis.
FISH
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, a molecular technique detecting specific DNA sequences in tissue samples.
fusion transcript
An abnormal RNA molecule created when two normally separate genes are joined due to chromosomal rearrangement.
genomic biomarker validation
Systematic process of demonstrating that a genomic alteration reliably predicts clinical outcomes or treatment responses...
genomic instability
A hallmark of cancer characterized by increased frequency of mutations and chromosomal aberrations throughout the genome...
genomic scar signature
Patterns of chromosomal alterations that provide evidence of past DNA repair deficiencies, particularly homologous recom...
germline mutation
An inherited genetic alteration present in reproductive cells and therefore passed from parent to offspring.
homologous recombination deficiency
Impaired ability to repair DNA double-strand breaks through the homologous recombination pathway, creating therapeutic v...
hotspot mutation
Genetic alteration occurring at a genomic position with high mutation frequency across multiple cancer samples.
HRD
Homologous Recombination Deficiency, a genomic instability pattern predictive of PARP inhibitor response.
immunogenomics
The study of how genomic variations affect immune system function and response to cancer immunotherapy.
immunohistochemistry
Laboratory technique using antibodies to detect specific proteins in tissue sections for cancer diagnosis and biomarker...
kataegis
A localized hypermutation phenomenon characterized by clusters of C-to-T and C-to-G mutations occurring in close proximi...
liquid biopsy
A non-invasive diagnostic technique that analyzes circulating tumor DNA or other cancer biomarkers in blood samples.
loss of heterozygosity
A genomic event where one allele is deleted or altered, leaving only one functional copy of a gene.
microsatellite instability
A molecular phenotype resulting from defective DNA mismatch repair, characterized by length variations in repetitive DNA...
microsatellite stable
Cancer classification indicating normal DNA mismatch repair function and intact microsatellite sequences.
minimal residual disease
Small numbers of cancer cells that remain after treatment but are below the detection limit of conventional imaging or c...
mismatch repair deficiency
A cellular condition where DNA mismatch repair mechanisms are impaired, leading to accumulation of mutations.