This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Although increased cell proliferation is a hallmark of cancerous tissues, in some cases it may actually protect against tumor growth, according to a new study by Caltech researchers. Using mathematical models, the work suggests a new paradigm for the earliest stages of cancer development.
Subsequent experiments in jellyfish, a particularly cancer-resistant model organism, support the idea that high rates of cellular proliferation enable tissues to conduct quality control, or "proofreading," to destroy cells that could become cancerous. The study is described in a paper appearing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work is a collaboration between the laboratories of Lea Goentoro, professor of biology, and John Doyle, the Jean-Lou Chameau Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems, Electrical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Emeritus.
Cancers occur when cells' normal abilities to grow and divide go haywire, causing uncontrolled growth that forms tumors. This can occur more often at older ages as cells accumulate and pass down mutations that add up over time. The more cells divide, the higher the cancer risk; indeed, highly proliferative tissues such as those of the colon and skin develop cancers more frequently than nonproliferative cells, such as neurons in the central nervous system.
But this paradigm does not quite tell the whole story. Paradoxically, certain large, long-lived animals such as elephants rarely develop cancers, though they have many more cells and live much longer than smaller organisms such as mice. Curiously, various jellyfish species essentially never get cancer, even when exposed to carcinogens.
In the new study, former Caltech graduate student Dr. Anish Sarma (PhD '22) built upon mathematical models of cancer that describe the interconnected rates of cell proliferation, mutation and death. Tissues must maintain a harmonious balance between these basic processes, destroying cells that have accumulated mutations and growing new ones to replace the old.
Sarma wanted to know whether it is possible for an organism to achieve normal tissue maintenance while also having low rates of abnormal growth. The team focused on modeling the occurrence of neoplasia, a type of abnormal growth that includes cancers and precancers. Surprisingly, the model showed that high rates of proliferation could lead to lower rates of neoplasia.
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