variant

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ONC-009169",
  "term": "variant",
  "field": "Oncology and biomedicine",
  "definitions": [
    "Any change in the DNA sequence of a cell. Variants may be caused by mistakes during cell division, or they may be caused by exposure to DNA-damaging agents in the environment. Variants can be harmful, beneficial, or have no effect. If they occur in cells that make eggs or sperm, they can be inherited; if variants occur in other types of cells, they are not inherited. Certain variants may lead to cancer or other diseases. A variant is sometimes called a mutation.",
    "An alteration in the most common DNA nucleotide sequence. The term variant can be used to describe an alteration that may be benign, pathogenic, or of unknown significance. The term variant is increasingly being used in place of the term mutation."
  ],
  "references": [
    "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms",
    "NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oncology/variant/"
}