New research may help explain why long-dormant cancer cells can suddenly grow more aggressive. Cancer cells can enter the blood stream and invade bones and other tissue soon after a primary tumor forms. Within bone, these disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) hide out in the perivascular niche, a space that surrounds blood vessels, where they can remain dormant for long periods before inexplicably awakening, ready to colonize the surrounding tissue. Colonization—the last step in bone metastasis—often occurs years after removing primary tumors, and its effects are estimated to kill hundreds of thousands in the US annually.
“If cancer is already in the bone, what triggers it to regrow?” asks Xiang H.-F. Zhang. The Baylor College of Medicine cancer researcher is trying to answer that question.
Case studies showing bone metastasis following dental implant surgeries, as well as epidemiological studies indicating the risk of bone metastasis increases after experiencing bone fractures, have ...
