A view of the relation between carcinogenesis and mutagenesis.

The somatic mutation theory of cancer causation gained the status of dogma following the demonstration in the 1970s that the majority of carcinogens were mutagens. However, more than a decade of "validation" and experimentation has failed to explain a notable group of noncongruent mutagens and carcinogens. Other evidence, including cases of nonparallel metabolic activation pathways for mutagenesis and carcinogenesis and patterns of organ-specific effects, does not support the somatic mutation theory. Therefore, the mutagenic reactions of carcinogens might be coincidental rather than causal; alternate mechanisms of carcinogenesis should be considered.