Cancer is often seen as a case of multilevel selection, in which selfish cancer cells pursue short-term proliferation to the detriment of the collective. Thus cancer cells are described as `cheats', and an analogy is often drawn between the mechanisms by which organisms fight cancer and the mechanisms by which social groups enforce cooperation. Recently, Gardner ([2015a]) and Shpak and Lu ([2016]) have argued that cancer is not a true case of multilevel selection, that cancer cells should be not regarded as cheats, and that the analogy between anti-cancer adaptations and suppression mechanisms in social groups is misleading. Their arguments are powerful. However, by drawing on the (presumed) link between cancer and the evolution of multicellularity, the notion that cancer represents a form of selective conflict between cells and organisms can be salvaged.

中文翻译：

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癌症和选择水平

癌症通常被视为多层次选择的案例，其中自私的癌细胞追求短期增殖而损害集体。因此，癌细胞被描述为“骗子”，并且经常在生物体对抗癌症的机制和社会团体加强合作的机制之间进行类比。最近，Gardner ([2015a]) 和 Shpak 和 Lu ([2016]) 认为，癌症不是多层次选择的真实案例，不应将癌细胞视为骗子，以及抗癌适应和社会群体中的压制机制具有误导性。他们的论据很有力。然而，通过利用癌症与多细胞进化之间的（假定的）联系，