A Triumvirate of Transformation: Oncogene, Ontogeny, and Plasticity

Cancer cells display extensive heterogeneity that influences therapy response and clinical outcome, yet the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Recent studies reveal that the developmental state and molecular plasticity of target cells, together with genetic lesions, drive cellular transformation, disease heterogeneity, and treatment response in hematologic malignancies. See related article by Hartmann et al., p. 306 (9) See related article by Wang et al. (8).