Hallmarks of cancer-Then and now, and beyond
Summary
Cancer presents a remarkably instructive perturbation of mechanisms manifesting in our biology that have gone awry, eliciting a malady that is inexorably increasing in incidence and societal burden concomitant with healthier aging. The wealth of knowledge and data forthcoming from decades of cancer research can be organized into conceptually distinct but interconnected parametric dimensions that define the mechanistic foundation of the disease: aberrantly acquired functional capabilities (
Content
# Hallmarks of cancer-Then and now, and beyond
*Published: 2026 Apr 16*
Cancer presents a remarkably instructive perturbation of mechanisms manifesting
in our biology that have gone awry, eliciting a malady that is inexorably
increasing in incidence and societal burden concomitant with healthier aging.
The wealth of knowledge and data forthcoming from decades of cancer research can
be organized into conceptually distinct but interconnected parametric dimensions
that define the mechanistic foundation of the disease: aberrantly acquired
functional capabilities (the hallmarks of cancer), enabling phenotypic
characteristics, hallmark-conveying cells populating cancer microenvironments,
and systemic interactions. Collectively, they provide a logical framework with
which to illuminate the operating systems of these outlaw organs, from inception
through multistage tumorigenesis to adaptive evolution. This review presents a
concise synthesis of the hallmark conceptualization as it has been refined
during the past 25 years, including a corollary hypothesis that mechanism-guided
hallmark co-targeting could offer impactful new therapeutic strategies for
treating human cancers.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.12.049