Published: 31 Dec 2025
Origin, Evolution, and Regulation of Cancer Genes: An Overview
Volume 2
Cancer is characterized by abnormal cell proliferation in multicellular organisms. Its emergence is linked to the evolution of multicellularity billions of years ago. The “incipient cancer genes” (proto-oncogenes) presumably evolved from genes involved in cell reproduction during the evolutionary transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms. Although these incipient cancer genes initially promoted rapid cell division required for growth at specific developmental stages, their activity had to be tightly regulated to..