<unk>  are characteristic combinations of mutation types arising from specific mutagenesis processes such as DNA replication infidelity, exogenous and endogenous genotoxin exposures, defective DNA repair pathways, and DNA enzymatic editing. The term is used for two distinct concepts, often conflated: mutagen<unk>  and tumor<unk> . Its original use, mutagen<unk>  referred to a pattern of mutations made in the laboratory by a known mutagen and not made by other mutagens – unique to the mutagen as a human<unk> is unique to the signer. Uniqueness allows the mutagen to be deduced from a cell's mutations Later, the phrase referred to a pattern of mutations characteristic of a tumor type, although usually not unique to the tumor type nor to a mutagen. If a tumor<unk> matches a unique mutagen<unk>  it is valid to deduce the carcinogen exposure or mutagenesis process that occurred in the patient's distant past. Increasingly refined tumor<unk>  are becoming assignable to mutagen<unk> . Deciphering<unk>  in cancer provides insight into the biological mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis and normal somatic mutagenesis.<unk>  have shown their applicability in cancer treatment and cancer prevention. Advances in the fields of oncogenomics have enabled the development and use of molecularly targeted therapy, but such therapies historically focused on inhibition of oncogenic drivers (e.g. EGFR gain-of-function mutation and EGFR inhibitor treatment in colorectal cancer). More recently,<unk>  profiling has proven successful in guiding oncological management and use of targeted therapies (e.g. immunotherapy in mismatch repair deficient of diverse cancer types, platinum and PARP inhibitor to exploit synthetic lethality in homologous recombination deficient breast cancer).
Mutational signatures
Strain pattern
Phenotypic response surfaces
Isotype 
Serotype
Endotype
Extraction ratio
Bacterial phylodynamics