Liu, Katherine E (2017) Rethinking Causation in Cancer with Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Biological Theory.
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Abstract
Despite the productivity of basic cancer research, cancer continues to be a health burden to society because this research has not yielded corresponding clinical applications. Many proposed solutions to this dilemma have revolved around implementing organizational and policy changes related to cancer research. Here I argue for a different solution: a new conceptualization of causation in cancer. Neither the standard molecular biomarker approaches nor evolutionary biology approaches to cancer fully capture its complex causal dynamics, even when considered jointly. These approaches map on to Ernst Mayr’s proximate-ultimate distinction, which is an inadequate conceptualization of causation in biological systems and makes it difficult to connect developmental and evolutionary viewpoints. I propose looking to evolutionary developmental biology (evo devo) to overcome the distinction and integrate the proximate and ultimate causal frameworks. I use the concepts of modularity and evolvability to show how an evo devo perspective can be manifested in cancer translational research. This perspective on causation in cancer is better suited for integrating the complexity of current empirical results and can facilitate novel developments in the investigation and clinical treatment of cancer.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Keywords: | cancer, causation, evolutionary medicine, modularity, proximate-ultimate, biomarker, evolutionary developmental biology, evolvability | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > Causation Specific Sciences > Medicine |
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| Depositing User: | Katherine Liu | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jul 2018 19:07 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 30 Jul 2018 19:07 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 14909 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Biological Theory | ||||||
| Publisher: | Springer | ||||||
| Official URL: | https://rdcu.be/3DO8 | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | 10.1007/s13752-018-0303-0 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > Causation Specific Sciences > Medicine |
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| Date: | July 2017 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14909 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Rethinking Causation in Cancer through Modularity. (deposited 16 Sep 2017 13:43)
- Rethinking Causation in Cancer with Evolutionary Developmental Biology. (deposited 30 Jul 2018 19:07) [Currently Displayed]
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