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Cancer

Cancer

Cancers arise due to mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, which leads to unrestricted cell proliferation. Modern science and medicine have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer, including eradicating cancer in some patients. However, there is still no cure for cancer. This is largely due to the fact that cancer is a large group of many diseases.

What is Cancer?

What is Cancer?

Cells and tissues must meticulously coordinate their activities for the normal functioning of the human body. Therefore, they exhibit socially responsible behavior - resting, growing, dividing, differentiating, or dying - for the organism’s benefit. Cancer arises when cells divide uncontrollably and invade other tissues or organs.
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of...

The Tumor Microenvironment

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...

Cancer Prevention

Cancer Prevention

Several factors can increase the risk of cancer in an individual. About 50% of cancer cases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, eating healthy, and following a modest cancer prevention diet. Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that populations with vegetable and fruit-rich diets have reduced the incidence of cancer. On the other hand, populations who have a diet rich in animal fat, red meat, junk food, or high calories are predisposed to cancer.
Some...

Cancer Survival Analysis

Cancer Survival Analysis

Cancer survival analysis focuses on quantifying and interpreting the time from a key starting point, such as diagnosis or the initiation of treatment, to a specific endpoint, such as remission or death. This analysis provides critical insights into treatment effectiveness and factors that influence patient outcomes, helping to shape clinical decisions and guide prognostic evaluations. A cornerstone of oncology research, survival analysis tackles the challenges of skewed, non-normally...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Using Microarrays to Interrogate Microenvironmental Impact on Cellular Phenotypes in Cancer

Using Microarrays to Interrogate Microenvironmental Impact on Cellular Phenotypes in Cancer

Published on: May 21, 2019

Cancer Community Ecology.

Burt P Kotler¹, Joel S Brown²

¹Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, 108400Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.

Cancer Control : Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center

|September 18, 2020

Summary

Cancer cells form ecological communities within tumors, exhibiting predictable traits and coexistence mechanisms similar to natural species. Understanding cancer community ecology offers new therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:

cancer cell types cancer community ecology environmental heterogeneity evolutionary tradeoffs mechanisms of species coexistence niche axis tumor heterogeneity tumor microenvironment

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Last Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Using Microarrays to Interrogate Microenvironmental Impact on Cellular Phenotypes in Cancer

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Three-dimensional Co-culture Model for Tumor-stromal Interaction

Published on: February 2, 2015

Area of Science:

Cancer Biology
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Tumor heterogeneity is a hallmark of cancer.
Cancer cells within tumors exhibit spatial and temporal variations.
Ecological principles can offer novel insights into cancer biology.

Purpose of the Study:

Advocate for Cancer Community Ecology as a framework for studying cancer.
Hypothesize that cancer cells form local ecological communities within tumors.
Explore mechanisms of cancer cell coexistence and diversification.

Main Methods:

Discuss ecological concepts and assumptions relevant to closely related species.
Explain the competitive exclusion principle.
Present five major mechanisms of species coexistence in nature.

Main Results:

Suggest that the five major mechanisms of coexistence in nature apply to cancer cell species.
These mechanisms include Food-Safety Tradeoffs, Diet Choice, Habitat Selection, Variance Partitioning, and Competition-Colonization Tradeoffs.
Discuss the potential application of these mechanisms to understanding cancer diversification and coexistence.

Conclusions:

Cancer Community Ecology provides a valuable framework for understanding tumor heterogeneity.
Mechanisms of coexistence observed in natural ecosystems are applicable to cancer cell populations.
Understanding these ecological dynamics has implications for developing novel cancer therapies.