@article{fdi:010058935,
  title = {{P}eto's paradox revisited : theoretical evolutionary dynamics of cancer in wild populations},
  author = {{R}oche, {B}enjamin and {S}prouffske, {K}. and {H}bid, {H}. and {M}iss{\'e}, {D}oroth{\'e}e and {T}homas, {F}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}f the occurrence of cancer is the result of a random lottery among cells, then body mass, a surrogate for cells number, should predict cancer incidence. {D}espite some support in humans, this assertion does not hold over the range of different natural animal species where cancer incidence is known. {E}xplaining the so-called {P}eto's paradox' is likely to increase our understanding of how cancer defense mechanisms are shaped by natural selection. {H}ere, we study how body mass may affect the evolutionary dynamics of tumor suppressor gene ({TSG}) inactivation and oncogene activation in natural animal species. {W}e show that the rate of {TSG} inactivation should evolve to lower values along a gradient of body mass in a nonlinear manner, having a threshold beyond which benefits to adaptive traits cannot overcome their costs. {W}e also show that oncogenes may be frequently activated within populations of large organisms. {W}e then propose experimental settings that can be employed to identify protection mechanisms against cancer. {W}e finally highlight fundamental species traits that natural selection should favor against carcinogenesis. {W}e conclude on the necessity of comparing genomes between populations of a single species or genomes between species to better understand how evolution has molded protective mechanisms against cancer development and associated mortality.},
  keywords = {biomedicine ; disease biology ; evolutionary medicine ; evolutionary theory},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}volutionary {A}pplications},
  volume = {6},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {109--116},
  ISSN = {1752-4571},
  year = {2013},
  DOI = {10.1111/eva.12025},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010058935},
}