Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38687804›Full record

ArticlePLoS computational biology2024

Synergistic epistasis among cancer drivers can rescue early tumors from the accumulation of deleterious passengers.

Carla Alejandre, Jorge Calle-Espinosa, Jaime Iranzo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS computational biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Evolutionary dynamics under phenotypic uncertainty.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Carla AlejandreCentro de Astrobiología (CAB) CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-2141-618X
Jorge Calle-EspinosaCentro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-2090-2768
Jaime IranzoCentro de Astrobiología (CAB) CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-4538-7726

Funding

Agencia Estatal de Investigación of Spain CNS2023-145430Agencia Estatal de Investigación of Spain PID2019-106618GA-I00Ramón y Cajal Programme of the Spanish Ministry of Science RYC-2017-22524Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D of the Agencia Estatal de Investigación of Spain CEX2020-000999-SYoung Investigators from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid M190020074JIIS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Epistasis among driver mutations is pervasive and explains relevant features of cancer, such as differential therapy response and convergence towards well-characterized molecular subtypes. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence suggests that tumor development could be hampered by the accumulation of slightly deleterious passenger mutations. In this work, we combined empirical epistasis networks, computer simulations, and mathematical models to explore how synergistic interactions among driver mutations affect cancer progression under the burden of slightly deleterious passengers. We found that epistasis plays a crucial role in tumor development by promoting the transformation of precancerous clones into rapidly growing tumors through a process that is analogous to evolutionary rescue. The triggering of epistasis-driven rescue is strongly dependent on the intensity of epistasis and could be a key rate-limiting step in many tumors, contributing to their unpredictability. As a result, central genes in cancer epistasis networks appear as key intervention targets for cancer therapy.

Indexed as

Computer SimulationEpistasis, GeneticModels, GeneticMutationNeoplasmsComputational BiologyGene Regulatory NetworksHumans

Identifiers

PMID38687804
PMCPMC11087069

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.