New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Biological barrier could keep cancer from metastasizing

Michael Irving May 6, 2019

Cancer might not be so difficult to kill if it didn’t have the terrifying ability to spread throughout the body. Now, researchers have discovered a particular protein signalling pathway that controls whether a tumor can spread or not, making it a good target for future drugs.

(Left) Normal expression of the protein activin B (red) in a healthy pancreas, which forms a ...

Medical Audio available

Existing drug that offers dormancy over death may be better for combatting cancer

Michael Irving April 29, 2019

Part of cancer's cunning is its ability to spread around the body, so that doctors can rarely be sure they’ve killed it all. Now researchers have identified a drug that could help keep cancer contained in a dormant state – and best of all, that drug is already on the market for other purposes.

An existing drug has been found to be effective at keeping cancer in a dormant state, ...

Science Audio available

Method converting cancer cells into fat cells could block metastatic spread

Rich Haridy January 14, 2019

A fascinating study has revealed a method that forces malignant breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells. The research, currently demonstrated in mice, suggests the process could stop tumors from metastasizing and potentially make the cancer more susceptible to conventional chemotherapy.

The cancer cells on the left (in red) were converted into fat cells (marked in yellow ...

Science

Biosensors developed to detect whether cancer is likely to spread

Rich Haridy December 5, 2018

A new study is reporting the development of novel biosensors that can detect the metastatic potential of individual cancer cells. The research is hoped to produce a system that can accurately let doctors know how likely a cancer is to spread, helping inform what treatment to administer.

Scientists are developing a biosensor to detect and measure whether a cancer cell is likely to ...

Medical Audio available

Breakthrough biomarker discovery reveals whether metastatic breast cancer is dormant or deadly

Rich Haridy October 15, 2018

Scientists have discovered a protein than can predict whether a patient’s metastasized breast cancer is dormant or about to turn deadly. The research points to new treatments that may be able to stimulate dormancy in cancer cells before they metastasize.

A specific protein, called NR2F1, could improve treatment of breast cancer and spare patients from unnecessary ...

Biology

Primary tumors found to "freeze" spread of secondary cancers

Michael Irving August 28, 2018

Finding ways to stop metastasis is a key way to improve survival rates for cancer patients. Now researchers have found that primary tumors have their own mechanism for slowing the growth of secondary cancers – which could be tapped into as a new potential treatment option.

Researchers have discovered that primary tumors can prevent the growth of secondary tumors by sending the ...

Medical

Scientists interrupt protein partnership that helps cancer spread

Michael Irving February 11, 2018

Part of what makes cancer so hard to fight is its ability to quickly spread throughout the body. Now, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have identified a protein that fuels this process of metastasis, and found that reducing the levels of that protein can help keep a tumor locked down.

Researchers at the Scripps Institute have identified a new protein target for preventing cancer from metastasizing

Science

Limiting dietary fat could help prevent prostate cancer’s fatal metastatic progression

Rich Haridy January 15, 2018

A team from the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been studying the mechanisms behind the metastatic progression of prostate cancer. They've found that a high-fat diet could play a major role in promoting metastasis of what is generally an "indolent" disease.

New research suggests dietary fat could be a key factor in triggering the fatal metastatic progression ...

Biology

Stopping cancer's spread by uncovering its expansion plan

Michael Irving March 20, 2017

Cancer often spreads to other organs and parts of the body through a process called metastasis, which, if left unchecked, can be fatal. A new paper is looking at the current state of metastasis research, to help scientists cripple cancer’s ability to spread throughout the body.

A new paper looks at the current state of research into how to prevent cancer from ...

Medical

Sifting cancer cells into a "muffin pan" for better treatment options

Lisa-Ann Lee December 15, 2016

Prescribing treatments for lung cancer patients often involves invasive procedures like biopsies. However a new noninvasive blood test could change all this. Better yet, it costs less than $30.

A MagSifter chip used to extract CTCs from blood samples