Is cancer really a 'local' cellular clonal disease?

摘要: Abstract Cancer is not simply the result of specific genetic alterations in key regulatory genes, but rather a complex multistep process involving selection clonal population cells. To accumulate three, or often as many seven, mutations single cell without incurring significant number additional that might lead to lethality requires large target cells, some mutagenic activity acting on those cells for variable period time, and efficient strategies, which may be extent tissue-specific. A ‘protective’ intracellular circuits present proliferating deliberately protect against carcinogenesis. If it does require seven sequential carcinogenic ‘genetic hits’ cellular clone malignant tumor develop, mathematically more likely occur tissue with high background neighboring clones, than low such alterations, no detectable at all. In this context, old ‘field cancerization’ theory by Slaughter recent ‘multistep carcinogenesis’ model Fearon Vogelstein can come together model: field cancerization’. This simple conclusion, our ability measure ‘background different parts body, allow early detection cancer risk, eventually help us develop suitable therapeutic strategies delay suppress process. Molecular technologies are just beginning sufficiently sensitive start testing hypothesis.