Contributions of evolutionary biology to the understanding of cancer

Constantin Ionescu-Tirgoviste*, Ioan Valentin Matei, Bogdan Ivanus, Ana Maria Falcan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Evolutionary biology has proven itself to be a useful tool for medical oncologists and cancer
researchers. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests the emergence of cancer is itself a
Darwinian process, which abides by the rules of natural selection. Non-Darwinian evolutionary
processes such as genetic drift also play an important part. The consequences of these findings are
pivotal to the understanding of the failure that attempts at treatment have encountered thus far, as well
as to the design of future therapeutic approaches.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)183-190
Number of pages8
JournalProceedings of the Romanian Academy Series B: Chemistry, Life Sciences and Geoscience
Volume14
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 12 Jul 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • cancer
  • carcinogenesis
  • evolutionary theory
  • clonal evolution
  • acquired drug resistance

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