# Mutation

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

## TL;DR

A change in the DNA sequence, like a typo in a recipe. Most are harmless; a few change a protein in a way that helps a cell grow out of control.

## Summary

Mutations range from single-letter substitutions to insertions, deletions, and rearrangements of whole chromosome segments. They arise from copying errors, damage by chemicals or radiation, or faulty repair, and accumulate with age; a typical adult tumour carries thousands, of which only a handful actually drive the cancer. Clinically, a mutation is named by the gene and the change (EGFR L858R, KRAS G12C, BRAF V600E), and a growing number of drugs are approved specifically for tumours carrying one of them.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: mutations; mutated; mutant; mutants; genetic mutation; point mutation; point mutations; variant; variants; genetic alteration; genetic alterations; alteration; alterations

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation

## Connected records

- terms: [Cell division](https://onco.cc/terms/cell-division/), [Deletion](https://onco.cc/terms/deletion/), [DNA](https://onco.cc/terms/dna-term/), [Driver mutation](https://onco.cc/terms/driver-mutation/), [Gene](https://onco.cc/terms/gene/), [Genomic profiling](https://onco.cc/terms/genomic-profiling/), [Germline vs somatic mutations](https://onco.cc/terms/germline-vs-somatic/), [Mutational signature](https://onco.cc/terms/mutational-signature/), [Somatic mutation theory of cancer](https://onco.cc/terms/somatic-mutation-theory/), [Tumour mutational burden (TMB)](https://onco.cc/terms/tmb/), [Variant of uncertain significance (VUS)](https://onco.cc/terms/vus/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/mutation.json