Francis Crick Institute scientists, funded by Cancer Research
UK, have discovered that blocking part of the immune system's first
response might help prevent cancer from spreading.
Researchers found that chemical messengers - made by immune
cells called neutrophils - can help spreading cancer cells to grow
in a new environment.
When the scientists looked at breast cancer in mice, they found
that these messengers - known as leukotrienes - helped the disease
to spread to the lungs.
The messengers helped make the lungs more welcoming to cancer by
homing in on cancer cells with the highest potential to form a
secondary tumour and helping them to multiply.
The research showed that using an inhibitor drug called Zileuton
(usually used for the treatment of asthma) to block these
messengers from being produced reduced cancer spread in mice.
Dr Ilaria Malanchi of the Crick (currently based at Lincoln's
Inn Fields) said: "Neutrophil immune cells swing into action as
soon as the body is injured or infected to kick-start the healing
process. But in cancer patients, some of this work can help the
disease and sometimes give secondary tumours a better chance of
taking hold.
"Our research confirms that neutrophils can boost cancer spread
and sheds new light on how they do this, by uncovering the vital
role played by neutrophils' chemical messengers. Most importantly,
our work suggests a way of targeting the messengers and stopping
them from aiding cancer spread. Now further research is needed to
see if this approach could help cancer patients."
Nell Barrie, senior science communications manager at Cancer
Research UK, said: "Cancer usually kills by spreading from where it
first develops to other parts of the body. So stopping it in its
tracks could have a real impact for patients. This early research
adds to what we know about how the disease spreads and could lead
to ways of making the body less receptive to cancer cells that are
on the move. More research is needed before this can benefit
patients, but this study provides another important piece of the
cancer puzzle."
The paper, Neutrophils support lung colonisation of metastasis-initiating
breast cancer cells, epithelial reversion and metastatic
colonization, is published in Nature.