Targeted cancer therapy mayjeopardize the effectiveness of subsequent immunotherapy by reducing dendritic cell numbers and activation, according to study of mice and patient samples.
Tumor cells missing a critical protein enter neighboring cells to sap their nutrients, then exit those hosts as intact cells, possibly primed to metastasize. Other scholars say it’s too early to know this for sure.
A mutant protein called Siglec-XII may promote carcinoma progression in humans, but inactivation of its gene seems to avoid the problem, according to a study.
It’s now thought that in many cases, cancer cells disseminate from the primary tumor site early on and lie dormant for long periods rather than only venturing out from primary tumors at an advanced stage.
Recent insights, such as the recognition that disseminated cancer cells can lie dormant for years before seeding secondary tumors, suggest novel strategies for fighting metastatic disease.
From his student days in veterinary medicine in Ethiopia to running a lab on metastasis at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Debeb has a passion for understanding how living things work.