In 1859, Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, which has since been recognized not only as a seminal scientific work but also as a landmark of modern thought that has far-reaching consequences. For cancer researchers, the principle of natural selection, in which variation that confers a survival advantage will be inherited by offspring, has itself been adapted to explain the dynamic cellular changes that occur during tumor progression. To mark the sesquicentennial of the publication of The Origin of Species, we organized a one-day symposium at the Van Andel Research Institute at Grand Rapids, Michigan that brought together medical and research experts from around the world to discuss the origins of cancer. But rather than focus narrowly on the Darwinian legacy, we chose to take a wider perspective that encompassed diverse aspects of tumor initiation. The result was a fascinating program with forums on genetic instability, cellular pathways, environmental factors (radiation, diet and exercise), infectious agents, clonal transmission, noncoding RNAs and sporadic mutations. Dr Leslie Bernstein (City of Hope National Medical Center) opened the forum with a discussion on the emerging consensus on the strong link between environmental risk factors including diet and exercise and breast cancer. Professor Sir Dillwyn Williams (Cambridge University) provided a detailed analysis of changes in childhood incidence of thyroid cancer in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor accident. Dr Elizabeth Murchison (The Sanger Institute) used canine transmissible venereal tumors and Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease to illustrate a little known mode of clonal cancer transmission that may have a profound impact on our understanding of species extinction, as well as human health consequences. Dr David Pellman (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) outlined how defects in cytoskeletal regulation lead to polyploidy and aneuploidy in tumorigenesis. Dr Silvio Gutkind (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Disease) talked about the varied roles of viral infection in cancer, with emphasis on the role of human herpesvirus 8 and Kaposi's sarcoma. Dr Brendan Manning (Harvard) described the genetic lesions that affect the TSC–Rheb–mTORC1 signaling pathway and contribute to tumorigenesis. Dr Frank Slack (Yale University) showed how studies of the let7 miRNA in nematodes have led to startling insights into the biology and treatment of non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Finally, Dr Jeff Trent (The Translational Genomics Research Institute and the Van Andel Research Institute) rounded out the day with a discussion on the effect of genomics and personalized medicine on modern approaches to cancer treatment.
At the end of the day, one of the participants commented that the strength of the meeting was its lack of focus. On reflection, we are compelled to agree. Collectively, these presentations provided a fascinating portrait of the origins of cancer from several distinct, complementary perspectives. Fortunately, many of the participants have agreed to share their thoughts on the origins of cancer with a wider audience through this edition of Oncogene reviews. We hope that you enjoy this edition as much as we have. This symposium was sponsored by The Foundation for Advanced Cancer Studies, the Van Andel Institute, Michigan State University, and the law firm of Smith Haughey Rice and Roegge.
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