Metastasis

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.​

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.

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.

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.

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.​

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 team of researchers has made a breakthrough in our understanding of how cancer cells are able to spread around the body and form deadly new tumors. The team found that two proteins work together, exhibiting unusual behaviour that helps keep the cells alive.

When metastasis occurs, it significantly lowers the patient's likelihood of survival, but a new discovery could help doctors tackle the process, with researchers form Imperial College London identifying a molecule that shows promise in switching off the process altogether.

Not much is known about how tumor cells travel to different parts of the body, a process known as metastasis. But engineers have created a device that is offers a new perspective, allowing researchers an up-close look at the cells as they spread, potentially unearthing new methods of treatment.