Is cancer an ancient throwback?

The basis of a new theory of cancer is developed by Paul Davies and Charles Lineweaver in the following paper published in the journal of Physical Biology:

For a popular account, see Paul Davies’ article in The Telegraph:

5 Responses to “Is cancer an ancient throwback?”

  1. Hilary Brooke says:

    Daily Telegraph February 7th 2012

    The article refers to 90% of cancer deaths result from metastasis, and slowing this process down would make a big difference. It seems cancer cells do no latch on to all parts of the body simultaneously.Yet blood that carries the cancer reaches everywhere in the body at least daily. Perhaps with some organs metastasis may never happen, such as lung cancer may not spread to the ears lobes. If it does it may take years instead of months as it does to the lungs. So perhaps the solution in order to slow down the rate of metastasis is to find out why cancer cells do not colonise other parts of the body simulaneously. Not why it does spread to particular arears but why it does not. If the cells in say the ear lobe are more recent than lungs and liver they may have developed a cell structure that prevents or delays metastasis. So, if this could be applied to more suscetible older cells then the problem is close to being solved.

  2. David Kennedy says:

    I am a graduate with a degree in Cancer Biology and Virology and am currently studying for a Masters in the Control of Infectious Diseases. My interest is how external micro-organisms can force cells in the body to multiply indefinitely. I believe that part of the reason why viruses (Hepatitis, Human Papilloma) and some bacteria (Helicobacter Pylori) force the body to indefinitely replicate is because these micro-organisms are striving to survive and replicate within the host. By forcing these cells to replicate they are ensuring their propagation and spread. Obviously this argument is clouded by the fact that the most clever organisms want their host to stay alive for as long as possible in order to allow them to multiply and spread to other people but this article has the potential to start some very interesting debate. Approximately 20% of cancers are caused by infectious organisms and the key to understanding how they interact with cellular machinery may well be linked to this theory of cancer manipulating evolutionary mechanisms.

  3. wattyler 23 says:

    Dear all is it really necessary to delve deep into our genetic past or look into the bag to pull out a rabbit that we convinced others that was not there before, When you first look for some thing do as you mother would tell you, look at what is under your nose,[ in front of you. ]A cancer cell can be looked at as an energised particle. In life we have individuals who we could call energised persons be they persons energised by religion/politics or what ever, These energised persons start off by converting those around them to their way of thinking, those that become converted are also energised by that belief. They break out from their confines and go on their[metastasis] quest to convert others, this happens time and time again. We can look at individual who did just that=Jesus,Carl Marks,Hitler,Stalin,Mussolini just a few. Cancer cells behaviour is but the same as our behaviour= we are part of the same mechanism, cancer is harmful to us but was not some of those energised persons I have mentioned above. When there is a riot [energised persons/particles ] the authorities often quell the riot by hosing down these particles with cold water, it does work, so how to quell cancer, subject cancer cells to cold, dissipate their heat energy, they after all behave as we do.

  4. Russ Simon says:

    There are several critical aspects of cancer which have not been mentioned, and are very important to understanding the biology and treatment of cancer.

    The first of these is the role of vitamin D in maintaining inter-cellular communication which keeps cells from “going rogue”. See: Vitamin D for Cancer Prevention: Global Perspective: .

    The second is activating the immune system to destroy cancer cells with fever therapy. See: Healing Heat: Harnessing Infection to Fight Cancer: .

    Using vitamin D to prevent most cancer and fever therapy to treat those few cancers which get by the vitamin D, I believe cancer would no longer be the scourge it is today.

  5. […] Lineweaver, dell’Australian National University ed io abbiamo proposto una teoria del cancro sulla base delle sue antiche radici evolutive. Noi pensiamo che siccome il cancro progredisce nel corpo, viene invertita, in modo accelerato, la […]

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