Somatic evolution and mutations in tumor cells Somatic evolution is the accumulation of all mutations in the cells of an organism over the course of 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 as a function of time results in decreased cellular function” (Kennedy, 2011). In other words, as organisms progress through life, their cells will eventually begin to deteriorate due to changes in their genetic material. Cancer is the term used to describe a group of diseases made up of hundreds of ailments, and although there are so many different types of cancer, they all start in a similar way. The body is made up of over a trillion cells, and cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malfunctioning 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 faster to allow the person to grow. After 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 begins when certain cells in the body are 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 tumor cells is that they have the ability to infiltrate and grow in surrounding tissues, developing out of control and causing serious damage to the host (Vincent, 2008). The cells become reeds... in the center of the paper... they fail throughout their life. With the inherent instability of genes coupled with mutations and the need for more stem cells to replace cells damaged by carcinogens, it seems almost inevitable that given enough time every living organism will at some point acquire cancer. preserve a certain number of somatic cells in order to maintain one's genetic information. These stem cells not only play a key role in repairing and replacing damaged cells, but also serve an important purpose in passing genetic material through a germ line. Ultimately, “the slow and relentless accumulation of DNA damage and mutations ultimately erodes the genetic information that maintains the homeostasis of the somatic cell population,” leading to cell malfunction and thus the evolution of these dysfunctional cells (Kennedy, 2011).