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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
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Comparative Lesions Analysis Through a Targeted Sequencing Approach
Published on: November 5, 2019
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Comparative Oncology: Evolutionary Perspectives, Emerging Discoveries, and Analytical Advances.
Vahid Nikoonejad Fard1, Marc Tollis1,2
11School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA;
Annual Review of Biomedical Data Science
|April 14, 2026
Summary
Cancer arises from cellular competition, a natural consequence of multicellular life. Comparative oncology offers an evolutionary framework to understand cancer across species, improving human cancer research and conservation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Comparative Oncology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Cancer is an inevitable outcome of multicellularity, arising from cellular competition.
- Current cancer research faces limitations due to a lack of interdisciplinary approaches and overreliance on murine models.
- An evolutionary perspective is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of oncogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the essential role of an evolutionary lens in understanding cancer.
- To explore genomic and life history factors influencing cancer prevalence across species.
- To highlight species-specific cancer defenses and advancements in cross-species data analysis.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on comparative oncology and evolutionary biology.
- Analysis of genomic and life history data across diverse species.
- Examination of methodological advancements in cross-species cancer data analysis.
Main Results:
- Cancer prevalence is linked to specific genomic and life history traits.
- Diverse and remarkable cancer defense mechanisms exist across the tree of life.
- New methodologies enhance the analysis of cross-species cancer data.
Conclusions:
- An eco-evolutionary framework is vital for advancing cancer research.
- Insights from comparative oncology can inform human cancer treatment strategies.
- Understanding cancer across species can guide biodiversity conservation efforts.
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