A team of 17 researchers, led by scientists Eduard Batlle and Elena Sancho in the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), have determined that the ability of colon cancer to metastasize lies in the healthy cells, called stroma, that surround the tumour. Although the stroma has long been hypothesized to be complicit in this process, this study marks the first time that healthy cells in the microenvironment have been observed to play a fundamental role in allowing metastasis to occur in a specific tumour type.
The discovery, published by Cancer Cell, could translate into direct benefits for patients given that in a little more than five years, tests could be available to predict relapse allowing doctors to target treatment according to prognosis. This study was made possible thanks to the collaboration of physicians at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, the Hospital del Mar, the Hospital de Sant Pau and the group of researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center led by Joan Massagué. Dr. Cristina Nadal, IDIBAPS – Hospital Clínic researcher, is among the study authors.
Information via: IRB