摘要
What defines cancer?Numerous factors have been found to be associated with cancer onset and development.Rudolf Virchow suggested some 150 years ago that cancer was causally linked to persistent irritation.Later studies have revealed that overexposure to radiation,persistent microbial infection,genetic mutations,and chronic(sterile)inflammation could all potentially lead to cancer,and the same has been observed about intermittent hypoxia,iron overload,and intake of certain “carcinogens”.In parallel,considerable information has been collected regarding animals that never or rarely develop cancer,such as blind mole rats and whales.Yet no general frameworks have been published that can functionally link potential drivers to the formation and progression of cancer in a predictable manner,which is consistent with the aforementioned and other epidemiological data.Here,we outline one such framework.
