Maley C.C., Greaves M. (eds.) Frontiers in Cancer Research: Evolutionary Foundations, Revolutionary Directions

Springer-Verlag, New York, 2016. — 266 p. — ISBN: 1493964585.This is the ideal book for anyone contemplating starting a career in, or shifting their career to, studying the dynamics that drive cancer progression and its response to therapy. Topics include the theory and population genetics of cancers, genetic diversity within tumors (intra-tumor heterogeneity), understanding how mutant clones expand in tissues, the role of cancer stem cells in the dynamics of tumors, the evolution of metastasis, and how to improve cancer therapy by addressing the evolution of cancers in response to our interventions. There are also chapters on the patterns of cancer susceptibility in humans due to a mismatch between our modern environment and the environment in which our ancestors evolved, as well as a chapter on the evolution of cancer suppression mechanisms that have evolved in different species, particularly the large long-lived animals like elephants and whales that are better at suppressing cancers than humans.
This book serves as a primer on the evolutionary and ecological theory of cancer- the framework upon which all the details of cancer may be hung. It is ideal’s for oncologists and cancer researchers interested in evolutionary theory, and evolutionary biologists and ecologists interested in gaining insights into cancer development and prevention.The Evolutionary Foundations of Cancer Research
The Role of Theory in Cancer Research
Population Genetics of Neoplasms
Diversity in Neoplasms
How Do Mutant Clones Expand in Normal Tissue?
Cancer Stem Cells in Tumour Evolution
Measuring Rather Than Imagining Somatic Cell Selection and Clonal Evolution
The Darwinian Dynamics of Motility and Metastasis
Applying Evolutionary Principles to Cancer Therapy
Mismatches with Our Ancestral Environments and Cancer Risk
The Evolution of Cancer Suppression Mechanisms
How Can We Thwart the Evolutionary Resilience of Cancer?