Hypothesis Volume 3, Issue 12 pp 1130—1141

Figure 1. From random damage to cancer. Random damage undergoes multiple rounds of replication and selection. Aging is one of selection forces that favors cells with oncogenic mutations. Cancer cell is characterized by (a) activation of growth-promoting pathways such as mTOR and (b) loss of cell cycle (CC) control. Isolated activation of mTOR favors senescence, whereas isolated cell cycle progression may trigger apoptosis.