Some cancer mutations slow tumor growth
A typical cancer cell has thousands of mutations scattered throughout its genome and hundreds of mutated genes. However, only a handful of those genes, known as drivers, are responsible for cancerous traits such as uncontrolled growth. Cancer biologists have largely ignored the other mutations, believing they had little or no impact on cancer progression. But a new study from MIT, Harvard University, the Broad Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveals, for the first time, that these so-called passenger mutations are not just along for the ride. When enough of them accumulate, they can slow or even halt tumor growth.The findings, reported in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that cancer should be viewed as an evolutionary process whose course is determined by a delicate balance between driver-propelled growth and the gradual buildup of passenger mutations that are damaging to cancer, says Leonid Mirny, an associate...