A number of the newest cancer drugs can give a few months of extra life to people in advanced stages of the disease. The drugs attack the cancer cells with pinpoint accuracy and wipe out the tumors. And then, months later, the tumors come right back. In my “Matter” column today, I take a look at the work of cancer biologists and evolutionary biologists to understand how this rebound happens, and how doctors might stop it. Check it out.
Originally published June 27, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.