Transmissible Cancers in an Evolutionary Perspective
Antoine M. Dujon,
Robert A. Gatenby,
Georgina Bramwell,
Nick MacDonald,
Erin Dohrmann,
Nynke Raven,
Aaron Schultz,
Rodrigo Hamede,
Anne-Lise Gérard,
Mathieu Giraudeau,
Frédéric Thomas,
Beata Ujvari
Affiliations
Antoine M. Dujon
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
Robert A. Gatenby
Department of Radiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Georgina Bramwell
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
Nick MacDonald
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
Erin Dohrmann
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
Nynke Raven
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
Aaron Schultz
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia
Rodrigo Hamede
School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
Anne-Lise Gérard
CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Mathieu Giraudeau
CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Frédéric Thomas
CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Beata Ujvari
Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia; School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia; Corresponding author
Inter-individual transmission of cancer cells represents an intriguing and unexplored host-pathogen system, with significant ecological and evolutionary ramifications. The pathogen consists of clonal malignant cell lines that spread horizontally as allografts and/or xenografts. Although only nine transmissible cancer lineages in eight host species from both terrestrial and marine environments have been investigated, they exhibit evolutionary dynamics that may provide novel insights into tumor-host interactions particularly in the formation of metastases. Here we present an overview of known transmissible cancers, discuss the necessary and sufficient conditions for cancer transmission, and provide a comprehensive review on the evolutionary dynamics between transmissible cancers and their hosts.
