Cancer is pervasive across multicellular species, but what explains the differences in cancer prevalence across species? Using 16,049 necropsy records for 292 species spanning three clades of tetrapods (amphibians, sauropsids, and mammals), we found that neoplasia and malignancy prevalence increases with adult mass (contrary to Peto’s paradox) and somatic mutation rate but decreases with gestation time. The relationship between adult mass and malignancy prevalence was only apparent when we controlled for gestation time. 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. Significance: Evolution has discovered mechanisms for suppressing cancer in a wide variety of species. By analyzing veterinary necropsy records, we can identify species with exceptionally high or low cancer prevalence. Discovering the mechanisms of cancer susceptibility and resistance may help improve cancer prevention and explain cancer syndromes.

中文翻译：

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脊椎动物的癌症患病率


癌症在多细胞物种中普遍存在，但是什么解释了不同物种癌症患病率的差异？使用跨越四足动物三个分支（两栖动物、蜥蜴类和哺乳动物）的 292 个物种的 16,049 份尸检记录，我们发现肿瘤和恶性肿瘤的患病率随着成人质量（与 Peto 悖论相反）和体细胞突变率的增加而增加，但随着妊娠时间的增加而降低。成人肿块与恶性肿瘤患病率之间的关系仅在我们控制妊娠时间时才明显。癌症易感性的进化似乎经历了突然的变化，然后是稳定的选择。肿瘤形成患病率的异常值包括普通鼠海豚 （<1.3%）、罗德里格斯果蝠 （<1.6%）、黑足企鹅 （<0.4%）、雪貂 （63%） 和负鼠 （35%）。发现为什么某些物种的癌症水平特别高或特别低，可能有助于更好地了解癌症综合征以及管理和预防癌症的新策略。意义： 进化论已经发现了抑制多种物种癌症的机制。通过分析兽医尸检记录，我们可以识别癌症患病率异常高或极低的物种。发现癌症易感性和耐药性的机制可能有助于改善癌症预防并解释癌症综合征。