Carcinogenesis as the Sum of Its Parts

Abstract

Abstract The identification of cancer as a genetic disease is based on the well-documented fact that somatic mutations are required to create the lethal malady. But that is not the whole story. Cancer is also an environmental disease since it takes time to develop with the involvement of numerous environmental factors. There have been many theories of carcinogenesis over the last century that provided much insight, but still fall short of completeness. The Somatic Mutation Theory specifies that cancers arise as a consequence of genetic mutations, but it does not stipulate the mechanisms involved or what else may be required. The Tissue Organization Field Theory specifies that cancers arise as the result of cell communication disruption, but it does not stipulate how this occurs, nor does it clarify what else may be required. Neither theory is independently sufficient based on today's knowledge. The existing experimental evidence clearly supports the Somatic Mutation Theory, and none refutes this theory ba...