The ‘cancell’ theory of carcinogenesis: re-evolution of an ancient, holistic neoplastic unicellular concept of cancer

Abstract

The ‘cancell’ theory of carcinogenesis is based on four assumptions: 1. that there is early evolvement of neoplastic potentials in certain unicellular eukaryotes (so-called cancell lines) by adaptive response to the various carcinogens of the primitive Earth. The process that led to the neoplastic potential is called ‘early carcinogenesis’; 2. that there is transition of cancell lines to multicellular forms; 3. that there is uptake of the basic genetics and epigenetics of the cancell concept into the genomic program of multicellular entities and their conservation even in human cells, and 4. the re-emergence of the ancient cancell concept in human somatic cells in a process called ‘late carcinogenesis’. According to this theory, both processes of carcinogenesis, the early one and the late one, are thought to be the result of a physiological adaptive response to the various genotoxic and nongenotoxic carcinogens.