The three dimensions of somatic evolution: Integrating the role of genetic damage, life‐history traits, and aging in carcinogenesis

Tumors result from genetic and epigenetic alterations that change cellular survival and differentiation probabilities, promoting clonal dominance. Subsequent genetic and selection processes in tumors allow cells to lose their tissue fidelity and migrate to other parts of the body, turning tumors int...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inEvolutionary applications Vol. 13; no. 7; pp. 1569 - 1580
Main Authors Rozhok, Andrii I., DeGregori, James
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2020
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Wiley
Subjects
Age
Aging
Animal reproduction
Cancer
Carcinogenesis
Cell division
Cloning
Colon
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA methylation
Epigenetics
Evolution
Genes
Genotype & phenotype
life‐history evolution
longevity
Mutation
Mutation rates
Senescence
somatic evolution
Special Issue Review and Syntheses
Stem cells
longevity
carcinogenesis
life‐history evolution
somatic evolution
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Tumors result from genetic and epigenetic alterations that change cellular survival and differentiation probabilities, promoting clonal dominance. Subsequent genetic and selection processes in tumors allow cells to lose their tissue fidelity and migrate to other parts of the body, turning tumors into cancer. However, the relationship between genetic damage and cancer is not linear, showing remarkable and sometimes seemingly counterintuitive patterns for different tissues and across animal taxa. In the present paper, we attempt to integrate our understanding of somatic evolution and cancer as a product of three major orthogonal processes: occurrence of somatic mutations, evolution of species‐specific life‐history traits, and physiological aging. Patterns of cancer risk have been shaped by selective pressures experienced by animal populations over millions of years, influencing and influenced by selection acting on traits ranging from mutation rate to reproductive strategies to longevity. We discuss how evolution of species shapes their cancer profiles alongside and in connection with other evolving life‐history traits and how this process explains the patterns of cancer incidence we observe in humans and other animals.
ISSN:1752-4571
1752-4571
DOI:10.1111/eva.12947