A recent study focusing on the genome of a genital cancer in dogs transmittable through mating may help scientists understand what drives cancer evolution in general. This particular form of cancer in dogs is the oldest continuously surviving form of cancer in the world, with a history of 11,000 years.

The researchers associated with this study noted that cancer usually lives and dies in a single person and does not transmit to other humans. However, this particular and ancient form of cancer in dogs can be transmitted to other dogs. This cancer’s genome contains around 2 million mutations, while human cancers only have 1,000-5,000 mutations. The researchers made a ‘molecular clock’ in order to determine that the cancer first arrived around 11,000 years ago.

The study involved researchers including Dr. Elizabeth Murchison from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge in the UK. Murchison said, “The genome of this remarkable long-lived cancer has demonstrated that, given the right conditions, cancers can continue to survive for more than 10,000 years despite the accumulation of millions of mutations.”

The researchers said that they are not sure about the reasons for the formation of this transmissible cancer in dogs, but studying the genome sequence helped them understand how cancers spread and become transmissible. The lead author of this study, Prof. Mike Stratton, director of the Sanger Institute, said, “Although transmissible cancers are very rare, we should be prepared in case such a disease emerged in humans or other animals. Furthermore, studying the evolution of this ancient cancer can help us to understand factors driving cancer evolution more generally.”