Cancers increase during aging in mammals, and an accumulating body of evidence
suggests that mutational events too do likewise. Mutational events are intimately involved in
the malignant process. One current view is that mutator phenotypes are required in
malignant cells for a sufficient number of critical target genes to be affected. These mutator
phenotypes are believed to result from underlying deficiencies in genes necessary to
maintain genomic stability. This review will provide a framework for a discussion of cancer …