Aneuploid tumors specifically inactivate Stat1 signaling while simultaneously increasing Myc activity to adapt to the stress induced by chromosomal instability. This combined genetic alteration is enriched in chromosomally unstable tumors and represents a mechanism by which aneuploid cells achieve malignant transformation in vivo. [@schubert_cancer_2021]

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Multiple lines of evidence establish that aneuploid tumors with chromosomal instability specifically inactivate Stat1 signaling while concurrently increasing Myc activity as a conserved mechanism to evade immune surveillance. This dual genetic alteration directly counteracts the fitness cost that chromosomal instability normally imposes: chromosomally unstable tumors experience increased immune cell infiltration, but the combination of Stat1 loss and Myc activation suppresses this immune response and allows aneuploid cells to persist despite aneuploidy-induced stress. The mechanism is conserved between mouse and human aneuploid cancers, indicating an evolutionary solution distinct from the more common but non-enriched p53 loss pathway. While the immune evasion function of this dual alteration is well-supported, what remains contested is the broader question of whether aneuploidy acts primarily as tumor-promoting or tumor-suppressive, since increased aneuploidy both drives spontaneous tumor formation in aged animals yet inhibits chemically and genetically induced tumorigenesis in other contexts.

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