Clinical trial designs for evaluating and exploiting cancer evolution

Cancer is a genetic disease[1], with cells constantly turning over and acquiring changes in gene function over time. It can also be defined as a disease of evolution, governed by environmental selection of phenotypic features. Interestingly, while some of the genetic changes can be transient, such as modification in gene expression or post-translational function of encoded proteins, a proportion of genetic changes are irreversible and inherited by daughter cells leading to tumour evolution.[2 –6] Some of these genetic changes are deleterious and result in cell death, others are neutral, and a few are advantageous and drive future generations of cancer cells.
Source: Cancer Treatment Reviews - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research