Curriculum
Module 14 · 75 min

Cancer Cell Biology

Hallmarks, plasticity, microenvironment, metastasis — beyond mutation lists.

CoreClinicalResearch
Topics

What this module covers

  • 01Hanahan-Weinberg hallmarks (2000, 2011, 2022 updates)
  • 02Tumour heterogeneity: clonal, spatial, plasticity-driven
  • 03Tumour microenvironment: CAFs, immune cells, vasculature, hypoxia
  • 04EMT plasticity and the metastatic cascade
  • 05Cancer stem cells and dormancy
  • 06Liquid biopsy: ctDNA, CTCs, exosomes
Deep dives

Lesson sub-pages

core 26 min· 2 refs
Hallmarks of cancer: the 2022 update
Eight hallmarks, two enabling characteristics, four emerging — and how they map to drug classes.
Learning objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to

  • L01Argue why cancer is a tissue disease, not just a cell-autonomous mutation problem.
  • L02Explain how dormancy frustrates curative therapy in many solid tumours.
  • L03Critically appraise a 'cancer stem cell' claim.
Expected takeaways

What you should walk away believing

  • →Most cancer deaths are from metastasis; metastatic dormancy is the biggest unsolved problem.
  • →TME-targeting (anti-VEGF, anti-CSF1R, T-cell engagers) often works better than tumour-cell-only targeting.
  • →Plasticity, not stable hierarchy, may explain most 'cancer stem cell' phenomena.
Core summary

At the Core level

Cancer cells acquire capabilities — sustained proliferation, evasion of growth suppressors, immortality, induced angiogenesis, invasion, metabolic rewiring, immune evasion, genome instability, tumor-promoting inflammation — and exist within an ecosystem of stromal and immune cells that they remodel. Therapy now targets both compartments.

Evidence-graded claims

Claims, scored A–F

F
Anti-PD-1 monotherapy cures most cancers
Response in subset of tumours/patients; not curative for most.
C
Cancer stem cells form a stable hierarchy
True for some hematologic malignancies; plasticity model dominates in many solid tumours.
B
ctDNA-guided MRD detection improves outcomes
Strong evidence in CRC (DYNAMIC); other tumours catching up.
Quiz

Check your understanding

Q1. The Warburg effect is best characterised as:
Q2. CAR-T cells engineered against CD19 are most successful in:
Flashcards

Lock it in

1 / 3
Front
Three EMT transcription factors?
Click to flip
Suggested reading

Primary literature

Previous
DNA Damage & Repair
Next
Stem Cells, Development & Regeneration