Author:
Compton Zachary,Harris Valerie,Mellon Walker,Rupp Shawn,Mallo Diego,Kapsetaki Stefania E.,Wilmot Mallory,Kennington Ryan,Noble Kathleen,Baciu Cristina,Ramirez Lucia,Peraza Ashley,Martins Brian,Sudhakar Sushil,Aksoy Selin,Furukawa Gabriella,Vincze Orsolya,Giraudeau Mathieu,Duke Elizabeth G.,Spiro Simon,Flach Edmund,Davidson Hannah,Zehnder Ashley,Graham Trevor A.,Troan Brigid,Harrison Tara M.,Tollis Marc,Schiffman Joshua D.,Aktipis Athena,Abegglen Lisa M.,Maley Carlo C.,Boddy Amy M.
Abstract
AbstractCancer is pervasive across multicellular species. Are there any patterns that can explain differences in cancer prevalence across species? Using 16,049 necropsy records for 292 species spanning three clades (amphibians, sauropsids and mammals) we found that neoplasia and malignancy prevalence increases with adult weight and decreases with gestation time, contrary to Peto’s Paradox. Evolution of cancer susceptibility appears to have undergone sudden shifts followed by stabilizing selection. Outliers for neoplasia prevalence include the common porpoise (<1.3%), the Rodrigues fruit bat (<1.6%) the black-footed penguin (<0.4%), ferrets (63%) and opossums (35%). Discovering why some species have particularly high or low levels of cancer may lead to a better understanding of cancer syndromes and novel strategies for the management and prevention of cancer.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory