Molecular evolutionary mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis, tumor development, and metastasis

Tumorigenesis and the subsequent development and metastasis of tumors are continuous evolutionary processes that are a result of several molecular evolutionary events. During these processes, the tumor cells gradually gain advantages of survival and proliferation and promote tumor heterogeneity. An in-depth understanding of the mechanism underlying the molecular evolution of tumor cells will help us understand the intrinsic mechanism of tumorigenesis, tumor development, and metastasis. This in turn will aid in the development of targeted treatment strategies for blocking tumor development and metastasis as well as improve the therapeutic effects of these strategies. This review systematically summarizes the molecular evolutionary events, such as gene mutation, gene copy number variation, the generation of de novo genes, and chromosome abnormality, during the process of tumorigenesis, tumor development, and metastasis as well as their relationship with tumor development. This review summarizes the main theoretical models of molecular evolution in tumor cells and discusses future research trends and prospects. Furthermore, it provides valuable reference information for additional in-depth theoretical and applied research in this field in the future.