The Anonymous Widower

Why Don’t Whales Get Cancer? Cracking One Of Medicine’s Greatest Mysteries

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Guardian.

This is the sub-heading.

Understanding why some animals are more susceptible to the disease could lead to improved screening for humans

These are the first three paragraphs

Scientists are homing in on one of medicine’s most baffling mysteries: why some species avoid getting cancers while others are plagued by tumours that shorten their lives.

Whales tend to have low rates of cancer but it is the leading cause of death for dogs and cats. Foxes and leopards are susceptible while sheep and antelopes are not. Bats are also relatively well protected against cancer but not mice or rats. In humans, cancer is a leading cause of death that kills around 10 million people a year.

Even more puzzling is the fact that many huge creatures, including whales and elephants, generally avoid cancer when, instead, they should be at special risk because they possess vast numbers of cells, each of which could trigger a tumour.

The article is definitely a must-read.

March 19, 2024 - Posted by AnonW | Health | Cancer