The reason many cancers become particularly dangerous is that they can metastasize.
(Illustration: newatlas.com).
A new study conducted by Chinese scientists has shown that bacteria within tumor cells have helped tumors relocate while also promoting the survival of these cells during tumor development.
Researchers at the Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine discovered that bacteria can hijack tumor cells and enhance the strength of these host cells, thereby reducing the pressure on blood vessels.
Expert Cai Shang, the lead author of the report, stated that the research indicates the behavior of cancer cells is controlled by bacteria hidden within tumors, which were initially believed to be incapable of metastasis.
According to the study published in the journal Cell on April 7, Mr. Cai and his colleagues used a model involving mice with breast cancer that contained a significant amount of live bacteria within their cells, similar to breast cancer in humans.
The bacteria in tumor tissue are approximately 10 times more abundant than those in normal breast tissue.
They found that these bacteria could move through the bloodstream alongside cancer cells, and these bacteria could regulate the cell’s actin network—a type of protein involved in various cell movement forms, including muscle contraction.
The study also indicated that the aforementioned bacteria primarily facilitate the movement of cancer cells rather than affecting the localized carcinoma.
Mr. Cai stated: “Even a small amount of bacteria invading breast tumors can cause tumors, which rarely metastasize initially, to begin metastasizing.”
Subsequently, the researchers injected antibiotics into the mice’s bloodstream to eliminate the tumor bacteria. They found that the tumors did not shrink, but the potential for lung metastasis significantly decreased. Conversely, injecting these bacteria into the mice increased the tumor’s metastasis potential considerably.
The researchers explained that tumor cells in the bloodstream tend to be destroyed under mechanical pressure, but the bacteria inside can strengthen them by restructuring their framework.
However, the study did not clarify how the bacteria managed to invade and thrive within cancer cells.
According to the researchers, further in-depth studies are needed to uncover clues in this matter to apply antibiotics more effectively in cancer treatment.
Metastasis is a term commonly used in medicine to refer to the movement of cancer cells to other parts or areas of the body.
In general, metastatic cancer shares characteristics and properties similar to primary cancer (cancer that has not metastasized and remains at its original site), but the extent of spread and danger is significantly greater.
