Cancer undergoes divergent evolution similar to that of finches by adapting to environmental pressures, treatments, and biological obstacles through mutation.

“Cancer plays the exact same evolutionary rules, but on fast forward. So, they're doing exactly divergent evolution as well. A tumor might start in your body. It might start as one thing, but it's got different survival pressures.”

Tumors behave as complex ecosystems containing diverse variants that respond differently to environmental stimuli, complicating efforts to eradicate them.

“it's not like a tumor is one species. You wind up with a whole ecosystem, which complicates eradicating the tumor so much.”