Clonal Evolution in Healthy and Premalignant Tissues: Implications for Early Cancer Interception Strategies
Abstract. Histologically normal human tissues accumulate significant mutational burden with age. The extent and spectra of mutagenesis are comparable both in rapidly proliferating and post-mitotic tissues and in stem cells compared with their differentiated progeny. Some of these mutations provide increased fitness, giving rise to clones which, at times, can replace the entire surface area of tissues. Compared with cancer, somatic mutations in histologically normal tissues are primarily single-nucleotide variations. Interestingly though, the presence of these mutations and positive clonal selection in isolation remains a poor indicator of potential future cancer transformation in solid tissues. Common clonally expanded mutations in histologically normal tissues also do not always represent the most frequent early mutations in cancers of corresponding tissues, indicating differences in selection pressures. Preliminary evidence implies that stroma and immune system co-evolve with age, wh