In a recent study, scientists have found out a new way to control a cancer tumour before it spreads all over the body. This will literally control the cancer cells from affecting other parts of the body.
A New Method To Discover Cancer Cells Before They Spread: Study
The tumors spreading cells which are called as the fibroblasts help them to surround the tissue so the cancer cell will grip it and allow the cells pass through the blood stream and so they spread around the body.
This study was found out by the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Copenhagen which showed that adding experimental drugs which are nothing but reprogrammed fibroblasts. This will stop them from stiffening the tissues around the cancer cells. This healthy tissue will trap the cancer-causing cells and so the tumor will be stopped from spreading.
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The experiment was conducted on mice and the team showed the process. They proved that targeting the fibroblasts reduced the movement of cancer cells.
“This could be an exciting new way to harness the potential of the healthy tissue surrounding cancers to contain and restrain aggressive tumours - stopping cancer cells from breaking away and moving to new places in the body,” said co-lead author of the study, Erik Sahai from the Francis Crick Institute. “It’s early days but a very promising new avenue of research. If further studies show this route can benefit patients, it could help crack one of the toughest challenges in cancer research - how to stop tumours spreading,” said lead author Janine Erler from Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) at the University of Copenhagen.
“As these fibroblasts are present in all solid tumours, our findings may be relevant to many different cancer types,” said Erler. “The therapy we tested is used to treat inflammatory diseases and could be used to treat cancer patients,” Erler said.The study was published in the journal EMBO Reports.
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