Cancer Evolution: A Multifaceted Affair.
Date
2024-01-12Author
Ciriello, G
Magnani, L
Aitken, SJ
Akkari, L
Behjati, S
Hanahan, D
Landau, DA
Lopez-Bigas, N
Lupiáñez, DG
Marine, J-C
Martin-Villalba, A
Natoli, G
Obenauf, AC
Oricchio, E
Scaffidi, P
Sottoriva, A
Swarbrick, A
Tonon, G
Vanharanta, S
Zuber, J
Type
Journal Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
UNLABELLED: Cancer cells adapt and survive through the acquisition and selection of molecular modifications. This process defines cancer evolution. Building on a theoretical framework based on heritable genetic changes has provided insights into the mechanisms supporting cancer evolution. However, cancer hallmarks also emerge via heritable nongenetic mechanisms, including epigenetic and chromatin topological changes, and interactions between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. Recent findings on tumor evolutionary mechanisms draw a multifaceted picture where heterogeneous forces interact and influence each other while shaping tumor progression. A comprehensive characterization of the cancer evolutionary toolkit is required to improve personalized medicine and biomarker discovery. SIGNIFICANCE: Tumor evolution is fueled by multiple enabling mechanisms. Importantly, genetic instability, epigenetic reprogramming, and interactions with the tumor microenvironment are neither alternative nor independent evolutionary mechanisms. As demonstrated by findings highlighted in this perspective, experimental and theoretical approaches must account for multiple evolutionary mechanisms and their interactions to ultimately understand, predict, and steer tumor evolution.
Collections
Subject
Humans
Neoplasms
Epigenomics
Precision Medicine
Tumor Microenvironment
Research team
Breast Epige Plast & Evol
Evol Genomics & Modelling
Language
eng
Date accepted
2023-10-23
License start date
2024-01-12
Citation
Cancer Discovery, 2024, 14 (1), pp. 36 - 48
Publisher
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)