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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Standardizing a Non-Lethal Method for Characterizing the Reproductive Status and Larval Development of Freshwater Mussels Bivalvia: Unionida

Standardizing a Non-Lethal Method for Characterizing the Reproductive Status and Larval Development of Freshwater Mussels Bivalvia: Unionida

Published on: October 4, 2019

A la Pêche aux Moules.

Bernard Perbal¹

¹CNRS, GREDEG, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France. bperbal@gmail.com.

Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling

|August 10, 2016

Summary

Contagious cancer cells spread between shellfish species, a phenomenon also observed in mammals and humans. This research highlights the frequent inter-species transmission of cancer in molluscs.

Area of Science:

Marine biology
Cancer research
Evolutionary medicine

Background:

Horizontal transmission of cancer cells is rare in higher organisms but frequent in molluscs.
Recent evidence suggests inter-species transmission of cancer cells occurs in both molluscs and mammals.
Goff and collaborators (Metzger et al. 2016) presented data on contagious cancer in shellfish.

Approach:

Analysis of reported data on cancer cell transmission.
Review of existing literature on horizontal cancer transmission.
Comparative study of cancer spread in different species.

Key Points:

Contagious cancer cells have been reported to spread among different species of shellfish.
Molluscs exhibit a high frequency of horizontal cancer cell transmission.

Keywords:

Bivalve Cancer Horizontal transmission Immunodepression Infectious disease Leukemia Molluscs Parasite Pathogens

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Last Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Standardizing a Non-Lethal Method for Characterizing the Reproductive Status and Larval Development of Freshwater Mussels Bivalvia: Unionida

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The concept of inter-species horizontal infectious transmission of cancer cells is supported by recent evidence.

Conclusions:

Horizontal transmission of cancer is a significant phenomenon in molluscs.
Evidence supports the inter-species spread of contagious cancer cells across diverse taxa.
Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms and implications of trans-species cancer transmission.