posted on 2023-12-08, 09:37authored byGiovanni Ciriello, Luca Magnani, Sarah J Aitken, Leila Akkari, Sam Behjati, Douglas Hanahan, Dan A Landau, Nuria Lopez-Bigas, Darío G Lupiáñez, Jean-Christophe Marine, Ana Martin-Villalba, Gioacchino Natoli, Anna C Obenauf, Elisa Oricchio, Paola Scaffidi, Andrea Sottoriva, Alexander Swarbrick, Giovanni Tonon, Sakari Vanharanta, Johannes Zuber
UNLABELLED: Cancer cells adapt and survive through the acquisition and selection of molecular modifications. This process defines cancer evolution. Building on a theoretical framework based on heritable genetic changes has provided insights into the mechanisms supporting cancer evolution. However, cancer hallmarks also emerge via heritable nongenetic mechanisms, including epigenetic and chromatin topological changes, and interactions between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. Recent findings on tumor evolutionary mechanisms draw a multifaceted picture where heterogeneous forces interact and influence each other while shaping tumor progression. A comprehensive characterization of the cancer evolutionary toolkit is required to improve personalized medicine and biomarker discovery. SIGNIFICANCE: Tumor evolution is fueled by multiple enabling mechanisms. Importantly, genetic instability, epigenetic reprogramming, and interactions with the tumor microenvironment are neither alternative nor independent evolutionary mechanisms. As demonstrated by findings highlighted in this perspective, experimental and theoretical approaches must account for multiple evolutionary mechanisms and their interactions to ultimately understand, predict, and steer tumor evolution.
Funding
Crick (Grant ID: CC2024, Grant title: Scaffidi CC2024)