On the potential origin of the zygote-like cancer stem cell with a focus on fusion for cell rescue (opens in new tab)

Cancer is conventionally viewed as a disease of accumulated somatic mutation and epigenetic dysregulation leading to cell de-differentiation and uncontrolled proliferation. With few exceptions, malignant tumors develop from a single damaged cell. However, there is also strong evidence for the involvement of more than one cell in the initiation of oncogenesis. Oncogenic mutations may be insufficient by themselves to trigger oncogenesis as somatic cells harboring driver mutations are often seen...