Cancer origins
A clearer understanding of the biological underpinnings of cancer origins might help us design more effective cancer prevention methods or improve early detection of tumours that are likely to become malignant. Furthermore, delineating the cell of origin of a specific tumour and the evolutionary changes that underlie its development should also improve our ability to effectively treat that tumour. All of these goals will be aided by increased knowledge of the early pre-neoplastic changes in cells that have the capacity to become tumorigenic, determining the cells of origin of different cancer types, and understanding the interactions of pre-neoplastic or tumour cells with each other as well as with the supporting microenvironment. This series of articles takes a look at recent progress in the diverse fields that have provided insights into this intriguing problem in cancer biology.
