Complexity Digest 2008.23 - 12

5-June-2008

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Cancer: Whispering Sweet Somethings, Nature Bookmark and Share

Excerpts: That genetic mutations contribute to cancer is undisputed. What now emerges is that a cancer cell's microenvironment has a much stronger hand in the course a cancer takes than previously thought.

The goal of personalized medicine is to tailor a treatment to a specific cellular target at the appropriate stage of a disease, thus 'defusing' the disease process. Cancer is an example of the way in which multifaceted approaches to attaining this goal are emerging. We have come to appreciate that a tumour is a collection of diverse cells - cells carrying cancer-causing mutations and the cells of its immediate microenvironment - that act in concert towards disease progression.