“Logos”of Cancer Evolution
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Despite significant advancements in medicine, progress in combating cancer remains limited. Cancer is widely understood as a product of evolutionary processes, primarily through the lens of the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT), which posits that random genetic mutations drive carcinogenesis via Darwinian selection. However, emerging evidence challenges this reductionist view. While childhood cancers align with Darwinian evolution, sporadic adult cancers exhibit patterns more consistent with Lamarckian or quasi-Lamarckian mechanisms. Clonal evolution studies of various cancers reveal complex, non-linear architectures, questioning the adequacy of traditional models. These findings suggest that a unifying evolutionary framework—akin to Heraclitus’ _logos_—may be necessary to fully comprehend carcinogenesis.