With 1600 eyes, a pair of antennae, 6 legs, and an open circulatory system, the fruit flyDrosophila melanogastermay seem an unlikely model for the host of pathologies resulting from human cancers. However, the results of a century of research inDrosophilaonly accents the fundamental similarities between many biologic processes in both flies and humans. And as genetic analysis in yeast lent crucial insights into the conserved mechanisms of cell division and cell cycle control (1 ,2 ), genetic studies in a relatively simple multicellular organism such asDrosophilacan help us understand how mutations in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes affect organs and tissues, and also help us to find new genes functioning in the processes related to cancer biology. The goal of this chapter is to review how one can useDrosophilaas a model to study the functions of tumor suppressor or oncogene homologs, and to identify novel genes involved in tumorigenic processes. We discuss whyDrosophilais a relevant model for cancer development in mammals, and why studies inDrosophilaoffer advantages over a number of other model systems. We review the history of studying cancer inDrosophila, and explain the powerful genetic techniques that allow for refined in-vivo studies of cancer-causing genes.
