A calcium-based theory of carcinogenesis.

Most human cancers are initiated by chronic injuries that repeatedly kill cells and must, therefore, repeatedly raise cell calcium within nearby survivors. They may also raise calcium in distant cells via calcium waves. Here it is argued that these calcium increases initiate oncogenesis by breaking gap junctions and thus disorganizing tissues and by activating proto‐oncogenes. It is also argued that these calcium increases become self‐perpetuating in part through the development of an ability of cells to divide in reduced extracellular calcium, i.e., habituation to reduced extracellular calcium. I propose to test these calcium‐based theories by using aequorinated mice.