The recurrence of Cancer months or even years after a successful treatment is an all too common phenomenon that worries the medical community, so over the years, scientists have tried to understand how it is that Carcinogenic cells that were appeased, can become active again and attack the body again, often more aggressively than the first time.
A cascade of events set off by high levels of a stress hormone could cause dormant tumor cells to reawaken to once again cause cancer, a new study finds. https://t.co/layoDmPP9u
– STAT (@statnews) December 2, 2020
In a new study published on Wednesday, December 3 in Science Translational Medicine, a group of researchers revealed that the hormone stress it may cause dormant tumor cells to wake up again to cause cancer again. According to the research, the norepinephrine It is found naturally in the body, but more of this chemical is released into the bloodstream when the body detects higher levels of stress.
In some models of Cancer, the scientists found that a high level of norepinephrine triggered the activation of cells known as neutrophils, which help protect tumor cells from the body’s immune system. The activation of neutrophils, in turn, led these cells to release a special type of lipid, which then woke up the sleeping cancer cells.
According to Michela Perego, a molecular biologist at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and the lead author of the study, “It’s kind of a triangle; a chain of events that ends up being very powerful to awaken the dormant tumor cells“.
Dormant cancer cells reawakened by stress hormones
“We think that monitoring stress hormone levels in patients undergoing cancer therapy would be important in controlling the level of stress hormone to achieve longer tumor-free time in cancer patients.”https://t.co/k2jz8tzARc
— Biomedical Journal (@BiomedJ) December 4, 2020
Perego and his colleagues observed this mechanism in mice that were injected with cells of Cancer inactive lungs. The rodents were placed in a configuration where they had less room than usual to move around, which likely made them feel trapped and increased their stress levels. A subset of these mice were also treated with an experimental beta-blocker, a class of drugs used to treat blood pressure. Inactive tumor cells in mice treated with the drugs remained that way.
The team also examined 80 lung cancer patients who had undergone surgery to treat their disease. In this group, 17 patients saw their tumor return within three years of surgery, a recurrence that is considered early. Compared to the other 63 patients whose cancer came back later or did not come back at all; all 17 patients with early recurrence had higher levels of the chemical that indicates activated neutrophils.
If this preliminary finding is true; something that will need to be confirmed with further studies, “could potentially begin to monitor stress hormones in a patient undergoing cancer therapy,” said Perego.
What does it mean for a tumor cell to be inactive?
It means that there is still cancer cells, but they are undetectable. They may be at the location of the primary tumor or elsewhere. If the cells stay that way and don’t grow back, that’s fine because the person doesn’t experience symptoms, but if the cells do return, there is often resistance to the first therapy or sometimes surgery is difficult to do.
Yet, one more reason to STAY CALM and Carry On. #stress #cancer #oncology #health #COVID19 https://t.co/FTCFlIujVR
— Lynn Tougas, RKin (@LTKnS) December 5, 2020
How can dormant cancer cells be a problem?
Dormant cells are not a problem until they wake up. Great progress has been made in recent years in anti-cancer therapy. CancerBut we do know that some of them only last inactive for a while before the cancer returns.
Is this true for all cancers?
It can occur in all cancers. We know, for example, that breast cancer patients can relapse after 20 years of being in remission. However, it does not occur at the same rate in all cancers, or even in all patients with one type of cancer.
How does this study define stress?
All human beings suffer from stress, but some handle it better and others handle it worse. The important thing is that stress alone does not reawaken sleeping cancer cells.
High levels of stress hormone may reawaken cancer cells https://t.co/VB5E6EL7P6
— SudburyStar (@SudburyStar) December 5, 2020
Aren’t neutrophils part of the immune system? How do they help cancer cells?
Neutrophils are important for the way organisms fight pathogens. They are good for humans, but they also have an evil counterpart. Depending on the presence of cancer, neutrophils change to the extent that they support cancer cells, in addition to appearing to support the growth of malignant tumors.
What is surprising about this study is the result, that these hormones are so powerful that they can even influence the immune system.
With information from www.statnews.com
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