Cancer As an Evolutionary and Ecological Process

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Cancer

Specialty Oncology

Date 2006 Nov 17

PMID 17109012

Citations 716

Authors

Lauren M F Merlo

John W Pepper

Brian J Reid

Carlo C Maley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Neoplasms are microcosms of evolution. Within a neoplasm, a mosaic of mutant cells compete for space and resources, evade predation by the immune system and can even cooperate to disperse and colonize new organs. The evolution of neoplastic cells explains both why we get cancer and why it has been so difficult to cure. The tools of evolutionary biology and ecology are providing new insights into neoplastic progression and the clinical control of cancer.

Citing Articles

Cell death in tumor microenvironment: an insight for exploiting novel therapeutic approaches.

Wang W, Li T, Wu K Cell Death Discov. 2025; 11(1):93.

PMID: 40064873 PMC: 11894105. DOI: 10.1038/s41420-025-02376-1.

Identifying somatic driver mutations in cancer with a language model of the human genome.

Zeng G, Zhao C, Li G, Huang Z, Zhuang J, Liang X Comput Struct Biotechnol J. 2025; 27:531-540.

PMID: 39968174 PMC: 11833646. DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2025.01.011.

Ecology of vertical tumor transmission in the freshwater cnidarian Hydra oligactis.

Stepanskyy N, Pascal M, Asselin K, Brazier L, Meliani J, Tissot S Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):5886.

PMID: 39966423 PMC: 11836361. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-88895-4.

Adaptive Treatment of Metastatic Prostate Cancer Using Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Derbal Y Clin Med Insights Oncol. 2025; 19():11795549241311408.

PMID: 39776668 PMC: 11701910. DOI: 10.1177/11795549241311408.

Sociobiology meets oncology: unraveling altruistic cooperation in cancer cells and its implications.

Bin Masroni M, Koay E, Lee V, Ng S, Tan S, Tan K Exp Mol Med. 2025; 57(1):30-40.

PMID: 39774289 PMC: 11799181. DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01387-9.

References

Fukino K, Shen L, Matsumoto S, Morrison C, Mutter G, Eng C . Combined total genome loss of heterozygosity scan of breast cancer stroma and epithelium reveals multiplicity of stromal targets. Cancer Res. 2004; 64(20):7231-6. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-04-2866. View

Drummond A, Forsberg R, Rodrigo A . The inference of stepwise changes in substitution rates using serial sequence samples. Mol Biol Evol. 2001; 18(7):1365-71. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003920. View

Knudson Jr A . Mutation and cancer: statistical study of retinoblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971; 68(4):820-3. PMC: 389051. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.68.4.820. View

Wang G, Abnet C, Shen Q, Lewin K, Sun X, ROTH M . Histological precursors of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma: results from a 13 year prospective follow up study in a high risk population. Gut. 2005; 54(2):187-92. PMC: 1774842. DOI: 10.1136/gut.2004.046631. View

Iwasa Y, Nowak M, Michor F . Evolution of resistance during clonal expansion. Genetics. 2006; 172(4):2557-66. PMC: 1456382. DOI: 10.1534/genetics.105.049791. View

Tsao J, Yatabe Y, Salovaara R, Jarvinen H, Mecklin J, Aaltonen L . Genetic reconstruction of individual colorectal tumor histories. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000; 97(3):1236-41. PMC: 15581. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.97.3.1236. View

Weinstein B, Ciszek D . The reserve-capacity hypothesis: evolutionary origins and modern implications of the trade-off between tumor-suppression and tissue-repair. Exp Gerontol. 2002; 37(5):615-27. DOI: 10.1016/s0531-5565(02)00012-8. View

Meza R, Georg Luebeck E, Moolgavkar S . Gestational mutations and carcinogenesis. Math Biosci. 2005; 197(2):188-210. DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2005.06.003. View

Braakhuis B, Tabor M, Kummer J, Leemans C, Brakenhoff R . A genetic explanation of Slaughter's concept of field cancerization: evidence and clinical implications. Cancer Res. 2003; 63(8):1727-30. View

10.

Peterson A . Predicting the geography of species' invasions via ecological niche modeling. Q Rev Biol. 2004; 78(4):419-33. DOI: 10.1086/378926. View

11.

Gatenby R, Vincent T . An evolutionary model of carcinogenesis. Cancer Res. 2003; 63(19):6212-20. View

12.

ROTH M, Hu N, Emmert-Buck M, Wang Q, Dawsey S, Li G . Genetic progression and heterogeneity associated with the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Res. 2001; 61(10):4098-104. View

13.

Bjerkvig R, Tysnes B, Aboody K, Najbauer J, Terzis A . Opinion: the origin of the cancer stem cell: current controversies and new insights. Nat Rev Cancer. 2005; 5(11):899-904. DOI: 10.1038/nrc1740. View

14.

Huntly B, Gilliland D . Leukaemia stem cells and the evolution of cancer-stem-cell research. Nat Rev Cancer. 2005; 5(4):311-21. DOI: 10.1038/nrc1592. View

15.

Kolar C, Lodge D . Progress in invasion biology: predicting invaders. Trends Ecol Evol. 2001; 16(4):199-204. DOI: 10.1016/s0169-5347(01)02101-2. View

16.

Gatenby R, Vincent T . Application of quantitative models from population biology and evolutionary game theory to tumor therapeutic strategies. Mol Cancer Ther. 2003; 2(9):919-27. View

17.

Rajagopalan H, Nowak M, Vogelstein B, Lengauer C . The significance of unstable chromosomes in colorectal cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003; 3(9):695-701. DOI: 10.1038/nrc1165. View

18.

Smith G, Carey F, Beattie J, Wilkie M, Lightfoot T, Coxhead J . Mutations in APC, Kirsten-ras, and p53--alternative genetic pathways to colorectal cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002; 99(14):9433-8. PMC: 123158. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.122612899. View

19.

Shao Z, Nguyen M, Barsky S . Human breast carcinoma desmoplasia is PDGF initiated. Oncogene. 2000; 19(38):4337-45. DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1203785. View

20.

Tomlinson I . Game-theory models of interactions between tumour cells. Eur J Cancer. 1997; 33(9):1495-500. DOI: 10.1016/s0959-8049(97)00170-6. View