Childhood Cancers May Not Always Need Extra Mutations to Spread, Study Suggests
Childhood cancers may not always need extra mutations to spread, a new review study indicates. Instead, developmental plasticity may let tumor cells shape-shift into states that help them grow, resist treatment, and ultimately metastasize. The post Childhood Cancers May Not Always Need Extra Mutations to Spread, Study Suggests appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
A new study from scientists at the University of East Anglia and Liverpool John Moores University could overturn conventional wisdom about how some childhood cancers spread. The research, published in a Trends in Cancer review paper, suggests that aggressive tumor growth may not always require additional genetic mutations. Instead, cells may possess the ability to adapt to different states, enabling them to thrive, resist treatment, and spread metastases.
The scientists, led by Dr. Darrell Green, propose that the process could be reversible, challenging the long-held belief that cancers must acquire new mutations before spreading. Their analysis of genomic, epigenomic, developmental, and single-cell evidence indicates that cancer cells in children may exploit the natural flexibility of young, developing cells to spread.
Rather than needing to acquire new mutations to spread, childhood cancer cells may already possess the capacity to become aggressive and metastatic. Future treatments may focus on preventing cancer cells from entering these dangerous states, potentially allowing for more effective intervention before metastasis occurs.
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