title: Clonal evolution in cancer.
abstract: Cancers evolve by a reiterative process of clonal expansion, genetic diversification and clonal selection within the adaptive landscapes of tissue ecosystems. The dynamics are complex, with highly variable patterns of genetic diversity and resulting clonal architecture. Therapeutic intervention may destroy cancer clones and erode their habitats, but it can also inadvertently provide a potent selective pressure for the expansion of resistant variants. The inherently Darwinian character of cancer is the primary reason for this therapeutic failure, but it may also hold the key to more effective control.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Brookes Lawley Building, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK. mel.greaves@icr.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Greaves
authors.forename: Carlo C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Maley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060965:Clonal Evolution; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment