{
  "id": 3625647,
  "title": "Some tumours could ‘recruit’ nerves to help them grow",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/some-tumours-could-recruit-nerves-to-help-them-grow",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/08/27/some-tumours-could-recruit-nerves-to-help-them-grow"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent research indicates that certain aggressive triple-negative breast cancer tumours may enlist immune cells to aid their growth and survival. Triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancers, lacks estrogen and progesterone receptors and produces high levels of the HER2 protein. Conventional targeted therapies for other breast cancers are ineffective against TNBC. This cancer often progresses rapidly and has a higher risk of recurrence compared to other breast cancer types. The study, published in the journal Cell Death & Differentiation, discovered that TNBC can attract macrophages, immune cells typically responsible for infection and tissue repair, to promote nerve growth within the tumour. This process involves a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports nerve cell growth and survival. In the studied breast cancer models, tumour-associated macrophages were found to be the primary source of BDNF. The protein encouraged nearby sensory nerves to extend into the tumour through a process called axonogenesis. These nerves were not mere bystanders; when researchers reduced nerve growth, tumour growth significantly decreased as well. Furthermore, removing macrophages also reduced both the number of nerves within tumours and tumour growth. Dr Maureen Cox, a senior researcher from the University of Oklahoma involved in the study, noted that although macrophages typically perform beneficial functions in the body, breast cancer seems to repurpose them for a different purpose. Triple-negative breast cancer is a challenging disease to treat due to its unique characteristics. The latest findings suggest a potential new approach to tackling this aggressive cancer by disrupting the communication between immune cells and nerves, rather than solely targeting cancer cells. The researchers tested a drug that interferes with the signalling pathway used by BDNF. In mouse models of TNBC, treatment reduced nerve growth within the tumours and tumour size. However, this does not guarantee a new breast cancer treatment for patients, as the work remains preclinical, and drugs acting on this pathway can have adverse effects elsewhere in the body. Further research is needed to understand precisely what nerves do once they enter a tumour. Possible roles include stimulating blood vessel growth, altering the immune response around the cancer, or providing routes for cancer cell spread. These areas remain active research areas rather than established conclusions. Despite these caveats, the discovery contributes to the growing understanding that cancer treatment may need to extend beyond the tumour cell itself. Unraveling how to interrupt the dialogue between cancer cells and the nervous system could potentially offer new avenues for making aggressive cancers harder to sustain.",
  "summary": "US scientists have uncovered an unexpected relationship between immune cells, nerves and an aggressive form of breast cancer.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Some tumours could ‘recruit’ nerves to help them grow",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/some-tumours-could-recruit-nerves-to-help-them-grow-3628960",
        "published": "2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}