Explaining cancer to better prevent it
Understanding the disease at source Cancer is the abnormal and disordered production in the body of cells, known as "malignant." During evolution, living beings have put in place natural mechanisms to control this unwanted proliferation and prevent too frequent development of these tumours. Scientists at the Centre for ecological and evolutionary research (Creec) in Montpellier, are studying how natural selection has designed this resistance to cancer in various species. A yet unexplained paradox To understand how the body’s defences are used, scientists have examined a paradox, known as "Peto’s paradox," named after the biologist who discovered it in the 1970’s. The larger an animal, the more cells it has and the greater the risk of contracting a cancer. …