Epithelial Carcinogenesis

The model is not presented as a quantitative predictor of carcinoma occurrence or future tumor behavior. The article frames epithelial carcinogenesis as a developmental-like dynamical process governed by gene regulatory network constraints. The article proposes that replicative senescence and chronic inflammation may promote epithelial carcinogenesis by increasing spontaneous immortalization in vivo, but this needs further testing. The model cautiously proposes that the same cell-state transitions observed in vitro may occur during epithelial carcinogenesis in vivo.