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Mutation selection and the natural history of cancer

Nature volume 255, pages 197–200 (1975)Cite this article

Abstract

Survival of the rapidly renewing tissues of long-lived animals like man requires that they be protected against the natural selection of fitter variant cells (that is the spontaneous appearance of cancer). This article discusses three possible protective mechanisms and shows how they could explain various features of the natural history of certain common cancers of man.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London, NW7, UK

    John Cairns

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  1. John Cairns
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Cairns, J. Mutation selection and the natural history of cancer. Nature 255, 197–200 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/255197a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/255197a0

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