Ehrenpreis Ya.G. Embrionic properties of tumor cells: facts and hypotheses. Experimental oncology. 1982;4( 6):13-19. (in Russ)
The question of the embryonic properties of tumor cells, posed by Cohnheim over a hundred years ago, remains relevant today. The phenomenon of fetalism (Knox’s term) has served as the basis for extensive experiments and a variety of theoretical hypotheses. We attempted to analyze the data obtained on the causal relationship between cell malignancy and the appearance of embryonic characteristics.
The only distinguishing feature of tumor cells is their embryonic properties, and nothing other than embryonicization occurs during malignancy.