Somatic Evolution and Mutations with Cancer CellsSomatic evolution is the accumulation of all mutations in the cells of an organism throughout life. Understanding somatic evolution plays an important role in the science of aging and provides insight into the development of cancer (Boland, 2005). “The somatic mutation theory of aging posits that the accumulation of mutations in the genetic material of somatic cells over time results in a decline in cellular function” (Kennedy, 2011). In other words, as organisms progress through their lives, their cells will eventually deteriorate due to changes in their genetic material. Cancer is the term used to describe a group of diseases made up of hundreds of diseases and although there are many different types of cancer. , they all start the same way. The body is made up of more than a trillion cells, and cancer is the uncontrolled growth of defective cells in the body (Dawson, 1996). “Normal cells in the body grow, divide and die in an orderly manner. During the first few years of a person's life, normal cells divide more quickly to allow the person to grow. Once a person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn out or dying cells or to repair injuries” (American Cancer Society, 2012). Cancer occurs when certain cells in the body become mutated or changed and begin to divide. Cancer cells grow differently than normal cells: instead of progressing through the normal cell life cycle, cancer cells continue to grow and create more abnormal cells. A specific characteristic of cancer cells is that they have the ability to infiltrate and grow into surrounding tissues, grow uncontrolled and cause serious damage to the host (Vincent, 2008). The cells become cancerous......middle of paper...these throughout its life. With the inherent instability of genes associated with mutations and the need for greater numbers of stem cells to replace cells damaged by carcinogens, it seems almost inevitable that given enough time, every living organism will eventually by developing cancer. In conclusion, organisms have evolved to preserve a certain number of somatic cells in order to conserve their own genetic information. These stem cells not only play a key role in repairing and replacing damaged cells, but also play a major role in passing genetic material through a germ line. Ultimately, "the slow and relentless accumulation of DNA damage and mutations eventually erodes the genetic information that maintains the homeostasis of the somatic cell population", leading to cell dysfunction and evolution of these dysfunctional cells (Kennedy)., 2011).