Tasmanian devils are threatened with extinction by a horizontally transmitted cancer termed devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). In this study by Kosack et al. (2019) (Cancer Cell, Volume 35, 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.11.018), an integrative systems-wide approach identified the ERBB-STAT3 signaling axis as a central molecular driver of DFTD. These results extend our understanding of the molecular wiring of this peculiar cancer and provide an explanation for why horizontally transmitted DFTD cells are not rejected by the immune system. Pharmacological interference with the ERBB-STAT3 signaling axis may provide a much-needed addition to the ongoing efforts to save Tasmanian devils from transmissible cancer.
