title: Is cancer promotion associated with dysfunction in co-operation between differentiated cells?
abstract: In a selection-based computer model system we demonstrated that deteriorating cellular co-operation between differentiated cells could result in positive selection for initiated cells of high proliferative capacity. The ratio of the initiated cells to their normal counterparts increased from 0.47 to 0.63 when the strength of co-operation decreased to one hundredth. The correlation proved to be significant. A number of bioactive substances involved in cell-to-cell communication are already registered as cocarcinogens. Whether this approach can explain the role of other promoting agents remains to be answered. It is also possible that the high incidence rate of old-age cancer may be in part accounted for by this kind of co-operational failure during senescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory of Informatics, University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kozma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hadházi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002273:Carcinogens; D002450:Cell Communication; D016923:Cell Death; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011336:Probability
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens