An Evolutionary Perspective of Neoplastic Diseases in the Universe

The existence of exoplanets orbiting low mass-stars is one of the most significant discoveries of our time. Especially intriguing to us is the possibility that Earth-sized exoplanets within a habitable zone might harbor life-forms that resemble our own RNA/DNA-based species. We further narrow this theoretical possibility with the following question: if alien life does indeed exist elsewhere, would extraterrestrial life be burdened with earthly diseases? Given that the chemistry of the universe is subject to specific rules, restraints, and predictable outcomes, we argue that cancer-signaling pathways might be programmed into the life cycle of habitable exoplanets. This hypothetical prediction is also based on evolutionary convergence, the repeated emergence of biological similarity that occurs when disparate life-forms adapt to comparable selection pressures. The possibility that mutations and nucleotide base rearrangements that drive cancer growth might be fixed in the chemical hardware of alien life provides us with the opportunity to wonder and consider the origins, evolution, and ubiquity of disease beyond Earth.