Entropy-Driven Collapse as a Mechanism for Cancer Emergence A Systems Biology Framework for Predicting Malignant Transitions

This work introduces a novel, testable model of cancer emergence—entropic collapse—where accumulated disorder (entropy) beyond a tissue’s regulatory capacity triggers a transition into a stable yet pathological attractor: cancer. We propose the Biological Entropy Index (BEI), a composite metric that quantifies entropy across gene expression, protein folding, mitochondrial efficiency, and network signaling. BEI offers a potential pre-diagnostic tool capable of detecting malignant transitions before conventional histological or genomic methods indicate change. Grounded in established principles of thermodynamics and information theory (e.g., Shannon entropy), this framework is empirically testable, independent of broader unifying theories, and designed for clinical integration. This document details the theoretical basis, empirical calibration, visual workflow, pilot study design, integration with existing diagnostics, and preliminary simulation results that support BEI’s predictive potential.