Challenging the “rogue cell” theory of cancer

Pub date April 26, 2011
WriterSarah Phelan
SectionPolitics Blog

The GuardianUK has an interesting piece about a new theory on cancer:
”Rather than cancers being rogue cells degenerating randomly into genetic chaos, they are better regarded as organized footsoldiers marching to the beat of an ancient drum, recapitulating a billion-year-old lifestyle,” writes Paul Davies, who runs the cancer research center at Arizona State University. “As cancer progresses in the body, so more and more of the ancestral core within the genetic toolkit is activated, replaying evolution’s story in reverse sequence. And each step confers a more malignant trait, making the oncologist’s job harder.”