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The chromosomal and genetic abnormalities of cancer: Which one is the cause?. Asilomar, Jan. 7-9, 2007 Peter Duesberg, Alice Fabarius, Ruediger Hehlmann and Ruhong Li. Cancer: a genetic or a chromosomal disease?. The genetic cancer theory. The genetic cancer theory. According to the NCI
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The chromosomal and genetic abnormalities of cancer: Which one is the cause? Asilomar, Jan. 7-9, 2007 Peter Duesberg, Alice Fabarius, Ruediger Hehlmann and Ruhong Li
The genetic cancer theory According to the NCI 2-6 mutations cause cancer [NCI: Under-standing Cancer Series, 2007].
The genetic theory turns a blind eye to cancer-specific aneuploidy According to the NCI and research supported by it, mutations cause cancer by changing the cell’s morphology and “color” – but not its karyotype. NCI website 2006: Karyotype normal = ca = 22 chromosome pairs + X,Y
Yet, the karyotypes of cancers are very abnormal Karyotype of a human colon cancer: Highly aneuploid, with 15 rearranged marker chromosomes Karyotype of a diploid human cell (male)
Karyotype of a breast cancer cell MDA231-4
Carcino-genesis as chain reaction of aneuploid-izations
Despite questioning the orthodoxy, I expected a full absolution for this attractive new cancer theory –as on previous occasions …
Coulter et al. now claim 6 mutations are “sufficient” for tumorigenicity
But Coulter also provides evidence that 6 mutations are not “sufficient”
The chromosomes of Coulter’s “converted cells” are unstable Conclusion: Half of cells of Mu6 line are randomly aneuploid.
Karyotype of an aneuploid Mu6 cell Trisomy 7, and a marker derived from Chrom. 1
Chromosomal theory explains low transformation rates of “converted” cells
Testing spontaneous appearance of 3-dimensional foci: about 1 per 100,000 Mu6 cells Mu6 monolayer Mu6 focus
Clonalaneuploidies of 8 Mu6 foci: some stable others evolving
Moreover, 3 of 8 foci are intrinsically resistant to ara-C.Mu6 line is ara-C- sensitive. Back to Table.
END The chromosomal theory of cancer can be falsified by diploid cancers.
Spontaneous focus formation of Mu6 clone 3 Transformation rate: ~ 1 per 10^6 cells