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The cancer puzzle: Welcome to organicism
Ana M Soto1, Carlos Sonnenschein1
1Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Centre Cavaillès, République des Savoirs, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
Abstract:
During the fifty years since President Nixon declared the "War on Cancer", those inside and outside the cancer community have witnessed the systematic moving of the goalposts attitude to accommodate evidence into an inadequate theory, that is, the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT). This sorry state promoted a renewable yearly promise that at the end of the next 10-year period the promises uttered in 1971 would become reality. Each failure triggered calls to do more of the same research under the same theory, routinely using more and more sophisticated technology. Meanwhile, in the last few years, an unambiguous general consensus has emerged acknowledging that this overall long, intensive effort has failed, and that it is likely that the solution to the cancer problem resides elsewhere, namely, in alternative theoretical principles of biology. In this essay we concentrate, first, on the big picture, from the philosophical stance (reductionism versus organicism) to the need to adopt rigorous theories. From this novel perspective we conceptualize cancer as a disease of tissue organization akin to development gone awry. Finally, having identified both a promising stance and a useful theory, i.e., the tissue organization field theory (TOFT), we call for abandoning the SMT and for adopting the more promising TOFT.
Insights
The decades-long "War on Cancer" has failed due to the inadequate Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT). A new approach, the tissue organization field theory (TOFT), offers a more promising framework for understanding and treating cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Theoretical Biology
- Philosophy of Science
Background:
- The "War on Cancer" initiated 50 years ago has not achieved its goals.
- The dominant Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT) is increasingly viewed as inadequate.
- A consensus suggests current cancer research efforts have largely failed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the philosophical underpinnings of cancer research.
- To propose an alternative theoretical framework for understanding cancer.
- To advocate for a paradigm shift in cancer research and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of reductionism versus organicism in biology.
- Conceptualization of cancer as a tissue organization defect.
- Comparison of the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT) with the Tissue Organization Field Theory (TOFT).
Main Results:
- The Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT) has systematically adapted to accommodate negative evidence.
- Cancer can be conceptualized as a disruption of normal tissue organization.
- The Tissue Organization Field Theory (TOFT) presents a more promising alternative to SMT.
Conclusions:
- The current approach to cancer research, based on SMT, is fundamentally flawed.
- Adopting the Tissue Organization Field Theory (TOFT) is crucial for future progress in oncology.
- A paradigm shift towards organicist principles and TOFT is necessary to effectively combat cancer.
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