| dc.description.abstract |
Cancer is intricately linked to our evolutionary history. The origin and progression
of cancer can hence be better understood when viewed from an evolutionary
perspective. In this review, we portray the fundamental fact that within the complex
ecosystem of the human body, the cancerous cells also evolve. Just like any organism,
they face diverse selective pressure to adapt to the tumor environment. There exists
a competitive struggle that eliminates the unfit, leaving the well-adapted to thrive.
Sequential acquisition of “driver mutations”, chromosomal instability triggering macromutations and punctuated bursts of genetic changes can all hypothetically contribute
to the origin and evolution of cancer. We further describe that like in any ecosystem,
cancer evolution involves not just the cancerous cells but also its interaction with the
environment. However, as cancer evolves, individual cells behave more like a unicellular organism focused on its own survival. We also discuss evidences where cancer
has evolved through transmission between individuals. An evolutionary analogy can
open up new vistas in the treatment of this dreadful disease |
en_US |