Dujon A. M. auteur aut IRD Bramwell G. auteur aut IRD Roche Benjamin auteur aut IRD Thomas F. auteur aut IRD Ujvari B. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Transmissible cancers are elusive and understudied parasitic life forms caused by malignant clonal cells (nine lineages are known so far). They emerge by completing sequential steps that include breaking cell cooperation, evade anti-cancer defences and shedding cells to infect new hosts. Transmissible cancers impair host fitness, and their importance as selective force is likely largely underestimated. It is, therefore, crucial to determine how common they might be in the wild. Here, we draw a parallel between the steps required for a transmissible cancer to emerge and the steps required for an intelligent civilisation to emerge in the Milky Way using a modified Drake equation. Using numerical analyses, we estimate the potential number of extant marine and bivalve species in which transmissible cancers might exist. Our results suggest that transmissible cancers are more common than expected, and that new lineages can be found by screening a large number of species. specialized disease outbreaks epidemiology extra&#8208 terrestrial life Fermi paradox infectious disease neoplasm 020 080 43 3 2000222 [10 ] 2020 0265-9247 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010080001 0265-9247 [F B010080001] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010080001 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2020/12/010080001.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2021-01-14 2026-03-17 fdi:010080001 fre