Survival of the fittest

Just like cloned animals, cancer cells must fight for their lives, and the hard conditions drive rapid development. TUMOUR IS UNDER PRESSURE

1 The life of a cancer tumour is constantly in danger. Poor blood supply causes it to suffer oxygen deficit, the immune system attacks it, and doctors try to kill it with radiation and chemotherapy.

MUTATIONS BOOST CELLS

2 Via mutations, individual cancer cells obtain useful characteristics. They could liberate neurotransmitters, which slow down the immune system, or produce proteins that can pump chemo drugs out of the cell.

SURVIVORS DEVELOP AGAIN

3 The most resistant cancer cells survive and develop into new types of cells with other characteristics. Attacks by immune cells and doctors continue, but the result is just that the most resistant cancer cells keep up their superiority.