The discovery of cancer genes was a cumulative process involving multiple scientific breakthroughs over the years. Early research focused on identifying viral genes that could induce cancer in animals. This led to the discovery of the first oncogene, SRC, in the 1970s. Subsequent research identified similar genes in humans. Advances in genetic sequencing and molecular biology techniques in the 1980s and 1990s further accelerated the identification of both oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.
