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Cancer Prevalence Across Vertebrates
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|February 24, 2023
Summary
Cancer prevalence varies by species, increasing with body weight and mutation rate, but decreasing with gestation length. Studying these differences may reveal new cancer prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Comparative oncology and evolutionary biology.
- Investigating cancer prevalence across diverse species.
Background:
- Cancer is a significant challenge in multicellular organisms, yet its prevalence differs greatly among species.
- Understanding the drivers of these variations is crucial for advancing cancer research and management.
Approach:
- Analyzed 16,049 necropsy records from 292 species across amphibians, sauropsids, and mammals.
- Examined the correlation between cancer prevalence and factors like adult weight, somatic mutation rate, and gestation time.
Key Points:
- Neoplasia and malignancy prevalence increase with adult body weight and somatic mutation rate, contradicting Peto's Paradox.
- Cancer prevalence decreases as gestation time increases.
- Species like ferrets and opossums show unusually high cancer rates, while porpoises, fruit bats, and penguins exhibit low rates.
Conclusions:
- Cancer susceptibility evolution appears characterized by rapid shifts followed by stabilizing selection.
- Identifying the reasons behind species-specific cancer prevalence can enhance our understanding of cancer syndromes.
- This research may pave the way for novel strategies in cancer prevention and treatment.
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