title: Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease: insights into reduced tumor surveillance from an unusual malignancy.
abstract: Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a highly aggressive cancer involving the facial tissues that currently presents a serious extinction risk for the Tasmanian devil population. Although the histogenesis is uncertain, an origin from a neural crest cell-lineage is considered likely. Epidemiological, cytogenetic and immunological data all support the premise that DFTD arose from a single tumor clone from an individual diseased animal, and is being transmitted between individual animals as a tumor "allograft" by biting during social interaction. The spread of this cancer throughout the species is believed to be facilitated by a reduced MHC diversity, possibly as a result of an evolutionary bottleneck. The pathogenesis of DFTD has some similarities with certain human cancers, including donor-recipient tumor transmission, which may complicate organ transplantation, and certain forms of malignancy at the maternal/fetal interface. The natural history and pathology of DFTD, and the data describing this highly unusual tumor biology are discussed.
authors.affiliation: de L'immeuble 3, Centre d'Affaires Poincaré, 3 Rue Poincaré, 06000, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Iain D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: O'Neill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000473:pathology; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000662:veterinary; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000662:veterinary; D006801:Humans; D008394:Marsupialia / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013648:Tasmania