Using Mathematical Models, Caltech Researchers Suggest New Paradigm for Early Stages of Cancer Development

Caltech researchers used mathematical models suggesting a new paradigm for the earliest stages of cancer development, noting that increased cell proliferation can sometimes be protective against tumor growth. Supporting this theory, experiments conducted in jellyfish, a cancer-resistant model organism, showed that high cellular proliferation enables tissues to perform quality control or "proofreading" by destroying potentially cancerous cells.