[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-328919-105":59,"doc-detail-328919-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","evolution-of-transmissible-cancers-an-adaptive-plastic-strategy-of-selfish-genetic-elements-review","Evolution of transmissible cancers: An adaptive, plastic strategy of selfish genetic elements - Review","","A growing body of evolutionary and ecological research examines cancer, yet few studies address whether phenotypic plasticity can shape the origin and spread of cancer. The review proposes an adaptive horizontal transmission hypothesis in which flexible decisions by selfish genetic elements enable spread from an original host genome into other host genomes. Cancers are predicted to arise when vertical transmission success is sufficiently low relative to horizontal transmission, supported by an optimization model and empirical findings, with directions for future work.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/evolution-of-transmissible-cancers-an-adaptive-plastic-strategy-of-selfish-genetic-elements-review/328919/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/evolution-of-transmissible-cancers-an-adaptive-plastic-strategy-of-selfish-genetic-elements-review/328919.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Miles","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-25","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":44},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What gap does the review target about cancer evolution and spread?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It focuses on whether phenotypic plasticity—the capacity of a genome or individual to respond differently across environments—can influence how cancer originates and spreads.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What is the adaptive horizontal transmission hypothesis?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It proposes that flexible decision-making by selfish genetic elements allows them to move from the genome of an original host to the genomes of other hosts through the evolution of transmissible cancers.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"When does the review predict transmissible cancers will appear?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"When the likelihood of successful vertical transmission is sufficiently low compared with the likelihood of successful horizontal transmission.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},328919,1790343679,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":44,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":41,"preview_page_count":4},13056703019404,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","iScience  \nll  \nOPEN ACCESS  \nReview  \nEvolution of transmissible  \ncancers: An adaptive, plastic strategy of selfish genetic elements?  \nHudson Kern Reeve1 and David W. Pfennig2,*  \nSUMMARY  \nA growing number of studies have applied evolutionary and ecological principles to understanding cancer. However, few such studies have examined whether phenotypic plasticity––the ability of a single individual or genome to respond differently to different environmental circumstances––can impact the origin and spread of cancer. Here, we propose the adaptive horizontal transmission hypothesis to explain how flexible decision-making by selfish genetic elements can cause them to spread from the genome of their original host into the genomes of other hosts through the evolution of transmissible cancers. Specifically, we hypothesize that such cancers appear when the likelihood of successful vertical transmission is sufficiently low relative to the likelihood of successful horizontal transmission. We develop an evolutionary optimization model of this hypothesis, highlight empirical findings that support it, and offer suggestions for future research. Generally, phenotypically plastic selfish genetic elements might play an important role in the evolution of transmissible cancers.  \nINTRODUCTION  \nIn his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Siddhartha Mukherjee1, p. xvii refers to cancer as ‘‘the emperor of all maladies, the king ofterrors.’’ Indeed, of all major diseases, none is dreaded more than cancer for the simple reason that it is among the most challenging diseases to prevent and treat. Cancer is a large group of diseases that involve abnormal cell growth with the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Because cancers entail the proliferation of cells that are an integral part of their host’s body, they are difficult to eradicate without damaging the host. Not surprisingly, cancers are responsible for a significant fraction of deaths (approximately 16% of human deaths worldwide or roughly 10 million deaths annually2) . Notably, the cancer burden continues to grow.  \nCancers are not restricted to humans. Among animals, cancers have been observed in all groups of vertebrates and many invertebrates.3 Cancer-like phenomena have even been documented in fungi and plants, although they appear to be less lethal in plants than in animals.3 In short, cancers and related phenomena occur across the Tree of Life.  \nResearchers have increasingly applied ecological and evolutionary principles to understand cancer’s evolution, prevention, and treatment (e. g.,4–9) . Critically, these principles have helped explain why cancers are so difficult to prevent and treat: Cancers are driven by the simple logic of natural selection, which favors entities that best propagate their distinctive characteristics into the next generation. Thus, selection among cell lines within a host organism can favor a line that pursues short-term proliferation into the next generation of cells at the expense of other lines.7 Essentially, cancer’s evolution is a testament to the power of natural selection.  \nAt the same time, these evolutionary principles help explain the limits of cancer. Evolutionary theory predicts that differential over-replication by cell lines within an organism should be disfavored by selection acting atthe level of the host organism. Because hosts with cancerous cells will generally reproduce less (owing to the harmful effects of cancer), cancer cells should have fewer opportunities than non-cancer cells to leave descendants in the next host generation. Indeed, the fact that cancer frequently causes the death of the host has led many to regard itas an evolutionary ‘‘dead end’’.7, 10 According to this perspective, cancer is best thought of as somatic cells evolving within one organismal generation.  \nYet, this perspective ignores the possibility that cancer cells (or [onco]genes that trigger them) might spread infectiously from their original host organism to a new ho","cbCaibWi5ytByV0D","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaibWi5ytByV0D","pdf",2601625,12,"English","# Summary\n# Introduction\n# Hypothesis and evolutionary optimization model\n# Empirical findings and future research directions","[{\"question\":\"What gap does the review target about cancer evolution and spread?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on whether phenotypic plasticity—the capacity of a genome or individual to respond differently across environments—can influence how cancer originates and spreads.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the adaptive horizontal transmission hypothesis?\",\"answer\":\"It proposes that flexible decision-making by selfish genetic elements allows them to move from the genome of an original host to the genomes of other hosts through the evolution of transmissible cancers.\"},{\"question\":\"When does the review predict transmissible cancers will appear?\",\"answer\":\"When the likelihood of successful vertical transmission is sufficiently low compared with the likelihood of successful horizontal transmission.\"}]","Evolution of transmissible cancers: An adaptive, plastic strategy of selfish genetic elements - Review | PDF",1789981644]