The age incidence of any cancer can be explained by a one-mutation model

2008/08/18 by Rinaldo B. Schinazi, Schinazi, Rinaldo B.
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Mathematics · Medicine · #60K35 #92D30 #Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Mathematics #Genetic factors in colorectal cancer #Probability (math.PR) #Quantitative Methods (q-bio.QM) #math.PR #msc:60K35 #msc:92D30 #q-bio.QM

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0808.2424

arxiv created 2008/08/18 · openalex publication_date 2008/08/18 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We propose a one mutation model for cancer with a mutation rate that increases with time. Under rather general hypotheses the number of mutations is necessarily a (non homogeneous) Poisson process with the prescribed mutation rate. We show that the cumulative probability of cancer up to time t is, up to a multiplicative constant, an antiderivative of the mutation rate.

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