Nasopharyngeal carcinoma ecology theory: cancer as multidimensional spatiotemporal "unity of ecology and evolution" pathological ecosystem

Luo, Weiren

2023

10.7150/thno.82690

THERANOSTICS   Impact Factor & Quartile

1838-7640

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a particular entity of head neck cancer that is generally regarded as a genetic disease with diverse intertumor and intratumor heterogeneity. This perspective review mainly outlines the up-to-date knowledge of cancer ecology and NPC progression, and presents a number of conceptual stepping-stones. At the beginning, I explicitly advocate that the nature of NPC (cancer) is not a genetic disease but an ecological disease: a multidimensional spatiotemporal "unity of ecology and evolution" pathological ecosystem. The hallmarks of cancer is proposed to act as ecological factors of population fitness. Subsequently, NPC cells are described as invasive species and its metastasis as a multidirectional ecological dispersal. The foundational ecological principles include intraspecific relationship (e.g. communication) and interspecific relationship (e.g. competition, predation, parasitism and mutualism) are interpreted to understand NPC progression. "Mulberry-fish-ponds" model can well illustrate the dynamic reciprocity of cancer ecosystem. Tumor-host interface is the ecological transition zone of cancer, and tumor buddings should be recognized as ecological islands separated from the mainland. It should be noted that tumor-host interface has a significantly molecular and functional edge effect because of its curvature and irregularity. Selection driving factors and ecological therapy including hyperthermia for NPC patients, and future perspectives in such field as "ecological pathology", "multidimensional tumoriecology" are also discussed. I advance that "nothing in cancer evolution or ecology makes sense except in the light of the other". The cancer ecology tree is constructed to comprehensively point out the future research direction. Taken together, the establishment of NPC ecology theory and cancer ecology tree might provide a novel conceptual framework and paradigm for our understanding of cancer complex causal process and potential preventive and therapeutic applications for patients.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma ecology Unity of ecology and evolution Pathological ecosystem Tumor microenvironment Tumor-host interface Tumor budding Ecological therapy Ecological pathology Ecological radiology Synthetic cancer ecology Multidimensional tumoriecology Cancer ecology tree

SCI

English

First ; Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China[81872202] ; Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China[2018A030313778] ; Natural Science Foundation of Shenzhen["JCYJ20190809154603583","JCYJ20210324131210030"]

Research & Experimental Medicine

Medicine, Research & Experimental

WOS:000994913400009

IVYSPRING INT PUBL

Web of Science

Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Shenzhen Peoples Hosp 3, Canc Res Inst,Dept Pathol, Natl Clin Res Ctr Infect Dis,Affiliated Hosp 2, Shenzhen, Peoples R China

Luo, Weiren. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma ecology theory: cancer as multidimensional spatiotemporal "unity of ecology and evolution" pathological ecosystem[J]. THERANOSTICS,2023,13(5).

Luo, Weiren.(2023).Nasopharyngeal carcinoma ecology theory: cancer as multidimensional spatiotemporal "unity of ecology and evolution" pathological ecosystem.THERANOSTICS,13(5).

Luo, Weiren."Nasopharyngeal carcinoma ecology theory: cancer as multidimensional spatiotemporal "unity of ecology and evolution" pathological ecosystem".THERANOSTICS 13.5(2023).