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Evolutionary Ecology of Organs: A Missing Link in Cancer Development?
journal contribution
posted on 2016-08-01, 00:00 authored by F Thomas, R M Nesse, R Gatenby, C Gidoin, F Renaud, B Roche, Beata UjvariBeata UjvariThere is striking variation in the incidence of cancer in human organs. Malignant tumors are common in the colon and breast but rare in the heart and small bowel. The uterus frequently develops benign fibroid tumors but uterine cancers are relatively rare. The organ-specific difference in cancer prevalence has been explained primarily by the relative roles of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors. In this opinion article, we propose also considering organs as distinct but connected ecosystems whose different vulnerabilities to malignant transformation may be partially explained by how essential each organ is for survival through the age of reproduction. We present and discuss some of the basic concepts and assumptions of this perspective on evolutionary medicine.
History
Journal
Trends in CancerVolume
2Issue
8Pagination
409 - 415Publisher DOI
ISSN
2405-8033Publication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2016, Elsevier Inc.Usage metrics
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