How Could Cancer Help Us?

Source- PMID 41223270

The Hydra effect in evolutionary biology suggests that cancer rates are maintained at high levels in competitive mammalian populations because the death of older individuals can paradoxically lead to a larger, more robust population size. In species where individuals compete fiercely for limited resources, the "removal" of older, post-reproductive members by cancer acts as a release valve, freeing up food, territory, and social dominance for younger, more fertile individuals. This creates a state of ecological overcompensation where the mortality caused by the disease actually increases the per capita resource availability, allowing the younger generation to survive and reproduce at a rate that more than compensates for the losses. This is still under investigation although preliminary evidence appears to support the theory.

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