Childhood cancers may spread by 'shape-shifting' rather than mutating

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Researchers at the University of East Anglia suggest that some childhood cancers may spread through changes in cell behavior or form rather than by accumulating additional genetic mutations. The proposal may help explain how certain tumors spread aggressively despite having relatively few genetic faults.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UK) have proposed an explanation for why some childhood tumors spread aggressively around the body despite having relatively few genetic faults. For years, experts believed cancers become more dangerous by accumulating genetic mutations that allow them to invade new tissues and evade treatment. But a new paper shows how childhood cancers may not always need extra mutations to spread.