Dingli, DavidNowak, Martin2010-07-262006Dingli, David, and Martin A. Nowak. 2006. Cancer biology: Infectious tumour cells. Nature 443(7107): 35-36.0028-08361476-4687http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:4318027Cancer cells are generally viewed as a problem innate to their host, but evidence is mounting that they can evolve to become infectious agents and be transmitted between individuals. The current view of cancer development is that normal cells are transformed into tumour cells by sequential mutations that activate cancer-promoting 'oncogenes', or inhibit genes that would otherwise suppress tumours, or trigger genetic instabilities. As a consequence, every tumour is the result of a unique evolutionary process as the cancer cells adapt to out-compete their neighbours.en-USJournal Article2010-07-2610.1038/443035a