London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Study reveals cancer’s ‘infinite’ ability to evolve

Study reveals cancer’s ‘infinite’ ability to evolve

An unprecedented analysis of how cancers grow has revealed an "almost infinite" ability of tumours to evolve and survive, say scientists.

The results of tracking lung cancers for nine years left the research team "surprised" and "in awe" at the formidable force they were up against.

They have concluded we need more focus on prevention, with a "universal" cure unlikely any time soon.

Cancer Research UK said early detection of cancer was vitally important.

The study - entitled TracerX - provides the most in-depth analysis of how cancers evolve and what causes them to spread.

Cancers change and evolve over time - they are not fixed and immutable. They can become more aggressive: better at evading the immune system and able to spread around the body.

A tumour starts as a single, corrupted cell, but becomes a mixture of millions of cells that have all mutated in slightly different ways.

TracerX tracked that diversity and how it changes over time inside lung cancer patients and say the results would apply across different types of cancer.

"That has never been done before at this scale," said Prof Charles Swanton, from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London.

More than 400 people - treated at 13 hospitals in the UK - had biopsies taken from different parts of their lung cancer as the disease progressed.

"It has surprised me how adaptable tumours can be," Prof Swanton told me.

"I don't want to sound too depressing about this, but I think - given the almost infinite possibilities in which a tumour can evolve, and the very large number of cells in a late-stage tumour, which could be several hundred billion cells - then achieving cures in all patients with late-stage disease is a formidable task."

Prof Charles Swanton says challenge of tumours evolving inside our body means we need to focus on preventing cancer.


Prof Swanton said: "I don't think we're going to be able to come up with universal cures.

"If we want to make the biggest impact we need to focus on prevention, early detection and early detection of relapse."

Obesity, smoking, alcohol and poor diet all increase the risk of some cancers. Tackling inflammation in the body is also being seen as a way of preventing cancer. Inflammation is the likely explanation for air pollution causing lung cancers and inflammatory bowel disease increasing the risk of colon cancer.

The evolutionary analysis has been published across seven separate studies in the journals Nature and Nature Medicine.

The research showed:

* Highly aggressive cells in the initial tumour are the ones that ultimately end up spreading around the body

* Tumours showing higher levels of genetic "chaos" were more likely to relapse after surgery to other parts of the body

* Analysing blood for fragments of tumour DNA meant signs of it returning could be spotted up to 200 days before appearing on a CT scan

* The cellular machinery that reads the instructions in our DNA can become corrupted in cancerous cells making them more aggressive.

The researchers hope the findings could, in the future, help them predict how a patient's tumour will spread and to tailor treatment.

Dr David Crosby, the head of prevention and early detection at Cancer Research UK, said: "The exciting results emerging from TracerX improve our understanding that cancer is a disease which evolves as it progresses, meaning that late-stage cancers can become very hard to treat successfully.

"This underscores the crucial importance of further research to help us to detect cancers at the earliest stages of their development or even better, to prevent them from happening at all."

Comments

Oh ya 2 year ago
You will be reading a lot more stories about cancer in the future as it has now been noted and proven the the bio weapon that they called the vaccine is causing turbo cancer. Stop taking any shots for anything, your life might depend on it

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
×