Ecology and Evolution of Cancer

Ecology and Evolution of Cancer is a timely work outlining ideas that not only represent a substantial and original contribution to the fields of evolution, ecology, and cancer, but also goes beyond by connecting the interfaces of these disciplines. This work engages the expertise of a multidisciplinary research team to collate and review the latest knowledge and developments in this exciting research field.

The evolutionary perspective of cancer has gained significant international recognition and interest, which is fully understandable given that somatic cellular selection and evolution are elegant explanations for carcinogenesis. Cancer is now generally accepted to be an evolutionary and ecological process with complex interactions between tumor cells and their environment sharing many similarities with organismal evolution. As a critical contribution to this field of research the book is important and relevant for the applications of evolutionary biology to understand the origin of cancers, to control neoplastic progression, and to prevent therapeutic failures.

Covers all aspects of the evolution of cancer, appealing to researchers seeking to understand its origins and effects of treatments on its progression, as well as to lecturers in evolutionary medicineFunctions as both an introduction to cancer and evolution and a review of the current research on this burgeoning, exciting field, presented by an international group of leading editors and contributorsImproves understanding of the origin and the evolution of cancer, aiding efforts to determine how this disease interferes with biotic interactions that govern ecosystemsHighlights research that intends to apply evolutionary principles to help predict emergence and metastatic progression with the aim of improving therapies

1. The Evolutionary Origins of Cancer and of Its Control by Immune Policing and Genetic Suppression 2. Cancer Prevalence and Etiology in Wild and Captive Animals 3. Infection and Cancer in Nature 4. Pseudohypoxia: Life at the Edge 5. The Genomic Landscape of Cancers 6. The Epigenetic Component in Cancer Evolution 7. Evolution of Cancer Defense Mechanisms Across Species 8. Coevolution of Tumor Cells and Their Microenvironment: “Niche Construction in Cancer” 9. Evolutionary Perspective of Tumorigenesis and Antitumor Immunity: A Comparative Approach 10. The Response of Cancer Cell Populations to Therapies 11. Ecology of the Metastatic Process 12. Transmissible Cancer: The Evolution of Interindividual Metastasis 13. Cancer in Animals: Reciprocal Feedbacks Between Evolution of Cancer Resistance and Ecosystem Functioning 14. Applying Tools From Evolutionary Biology to Cancer Research 15. Understanding Ancient Legacies to Expose and Exploit Cancer’s Evolutionary Vulnerabilities 16. Atavism Theory—An Introductory Discourse 17. Toward an Ultimate Explanation of Intratumor Heterogeneity 18. Obstacles to the Darwinian Framework of Somatic Cancer Evolution 19. Cancer as a Disease of Homeostasis: An Angiogenesis Perspective 20. Dormancy: An Evolutionary Key Phenomenon in Cancer Development 21. Controlling Rogue Cells in Cancer and Bacterial Infections 22. Searching for a Cancer-Proof Organism: It’s the Journey That Teaches You About the Destination 23. Ecology, Evolution, and the Cancer Patient