Cancer's Deadly Darwinian Imperative

Cancer is a disease of information, in which a cell becomes reprogrammed into a precision killing machine. In the consensus that has emerged from decades of research, this transformation is the result of approximately half a dozen genetic mutations -- changes that accumulate over the years to a cell’s DNA. For us humans these are deadly defects. But from the point of view of the cancer cell, each change is a beneficial adaptation. In a sped-up version of Darwinian evolution, the cells become fitter and fitter in their ability to compete and thrive inside the ecosystem of the body. The first mutation might be to a gene that is responsible for controlling mitosis -- how frequently a cell divides. A second mutation might turn off a gene that normally serves to rein in excessive cellular proliferation. Flooring the accelerator and cutting the brake line -- that is the familiar analogy. ...