Mitochondrial-Stem Cell Connection: Providing Additional Explanations for Understanding Cancer.

The cancer paradigm is generally based on the somatic mutation model, asserting that cancer is a disease of genetic origin. The mitochondrial-stem cell connection (MSCC) proposes that tumorigenesis may result from an alteration of the mitochondria, specifically a chronic oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) insufficiency in stem cells, which forms cancer stem cells (CSCs) and leads to malignancy. Reviewed evidence suggests that the MSCC could provide a comprehensive understanding of all the different stages of cancer.