# HGVS variant nomenclature

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/hgvs/  
OnCo record `hgvs` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

HGVS is the standard way to write a DNA or protein change, such as EGFR c.2573T>G or p.Leu858Arg, so that the same variant is named the same way everywhere.

## Summary

The Human Genome Variation Society maintains the recommendations for describing sequence variants (Wikipedia; the current rules are at hgvs-nomenclature.org). A description names the reference sequence and level (g. genomic, c. coding DNA, p. protein) and the change, and a genomic description depends on the genome build. Free-text variant names in papers (L858R, T790M) are shorthand for HGVS protein descriptions; joining them to databases such as ClinVar and CIViC requires the full form.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-24
- Also known as: HGVS; HGVS nomenclature; HGVS notation; c. notation; p. notation; variant nomenclature
- Tags: cansim-terms

## Notes

- Listed in the CanSim terms map 1.0.0 (docs/onco/terms.json, generated 2026-09-24), CC BY 4.0, attribution: CanSim project, an open, public-data-first cancer foundation-model programme; CanSim page path /terms/hgvs.

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Genome_Variation_Society
- HGVS nomenclature: https://hgvs-nomenclature.org/stable/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Genome_Variation_Society

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/), [ClinVar](https://onco.cc/collections/clinvar/)
- terms: [Cancer AI vocabulary (CanSim terms map)](https://onco.cc/terms/cancer-ai-vocabulary/), [Genome builds: GRCh38 versus hg19 (GRCh37)](https://onco.cc/terms/genome-builds/), [Variant calling](https://onco.cc/terms/variant-calling/), [Variant effect prediction](https://onco.cc/terms/variant-effect-prediction/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/hgvs.json