From the Hallmarks of Cancer to the Survival System: A Paradigmatic Reconstruction of Oncological Theory through the Existential Crisis-Driven Survival (ECDS) Framework

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Zhang, Yuxuan, Jia, Lijun
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Zhang, Yuxuan
Jia, Lijun
author_facet Zhang, Yuxuan
Jia, Lijun
contents Malignant tumors exhibit complex pathogenesis, yet classical oncological theories remain fragmented, failing to provide a unifying framework to address this complexity. This gap limits the utility and translational potential of the prevailing "confront-and-eradicate" therapeutic paradigm, constraining transformative therapeutic breakthroughs and driving the emergence of acquired and recurrent drug resistance. Here, we propose the Tumor Existential Crisis-Driven Survival (ECDS) theory, anchored in the core proposition that impairment of Existential Stability drives the compensatory hyperactivation of Survival Capacity. This framework defines three foundational constructs (Existential Stability, Survival Capacity, and Existence Threshold) and three guiding principles, unifying and integrating canonical core theories of tumorigenesis. It delineates the dynamic coupling between declining Existential Stability and escalating Survival Capacity during tumor evolution, reinterprets the hierarchical activation of the well-established 14 cancer hallmarks, elucidates the redundancy of survival signaling pathways that underpins intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity, and unravels the "hierarchical leap" in therapeutic resistance. By reframing tumors as "Existential Stability erosion-driven passive survival systems" rather than "intrinsically aggressive cellular aggregates", ECDS challenges prevailing dogma, uncovers tumors' intrinsic vulnerability, and establishes a robust meta-theoretical foundation for both basic cancer research and translational clinical management.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_09767
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
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spellingShingle From the Hallmarks of Cancer to the Survival System: A Paradigmatic Reconstruction of Oncological Theory through the Existential Crisis-Driven Survival (ECDS) Framework
Zhang, Yuxuan
Jia, Lijun
Tissues and Organs
Malignant tumors exhibit complex pathogenesis, yet classical oncological theories remain fragmented, failing to provide a unifying framework to address this complexity. This gap limits the utility and translational potential of the prevailing "confront-and-eradicate" therapeutic paradigm, constraining transformative therapeutic breakthroughs and driving the emergence of acquired and recurrent drug resistance. Here, we propose the Tumor Existential Crisis-Driven Survival (ECDS) theory, anchored in the core proposition that impairment of Existential Stability drives the compensatory hyperactivation of Survival Capacity. This framework defines three foundational constructs (Existential Stability, Survival Capacity, and Existence Threshold) and three guiding principles, unifying and integrating canonical core theories of tumorigenesis. It delineates the dynamic coupling between declining Existential Stability and escalating Survival Capacity during tumor evolution, reinterprets the hierarchical activation of the well-established 14 cancer hallmarks, elucidates the redundancy of survival signaling pathways that underpins intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity, and unravels the "hierarchical leap" in therapeutic resistance. By reframing tumors as "Existential Stability erosion-driven passive survival systems" rather than "intrinsically aggressive cellular aggregates", ECDS challenges prevailing dogma, uncovers tumors' intrinsic vulnerability, and establishes a robust meta-theoretical foundation for both basic cancer research and translational clinical management.
title From the Hallmarks of Cancer to the Survival System: A Paradigmatic Reconstruction of Oncological Theory through the Existential Crisis-Driven Survival (ECDS) Framework
topic Tissues and Organs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.09767