CANCER cells may not have foresight, but between them they can hatch strategies of attack. An analysis of how these strategies develop is providing insights into the disease which may lead to new treatments.
Because cells in a tumour differ in their mutations and needs, you can use “game theory” to understand how they interact, says Robert Axelrod, a political scientist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The “game” – to grow a successful tumour that can spread to new locations – proceeds more efficiently for all players if they cooperate, and this can occur without the players developing conscious strategies.…
