Our researchers uncovered how cancer cells can hijack a natural process called cell competition to help them grow and spread at the expense of healthy cells. These findings could lead to new treatment approaches for breast cancer.
Cell competition: understanding ‘winners and losers’
Cell competition acts as a quality control mechanism in the body by removing substandard or potentially dangerous cells. These 'loser cells' donate their nutrients to the fitter 'winner cells' surrounding them, enabling healthy tissue to grow.
Professor Pascal Meier and his team at the Institute of Cancer Research, London found that cancer cells can hijack this process by forcing their neighbouring healthy cells to donate their fuel. This allows the cancer cells to grow and spread.
The researchers, based in the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), hope that understanding this mechanism better will lead to new ways of treating the disease.
Cancer cells’ trick: disguising themselves as winners
In this study, Pascal and his team discovered that differing levels of a molecule called glutamate regulates competition between cells. They found that cells that release less glutamate are marked as ‘losers’ when surrounded by healthy cells.
The researchers also discovered that certain cancer cells can pretend to be super-fit 'winner cells' by increasing their glutamate production.
When surrounded by these competitive cancer cells, healthy cells appear less fit and start to donate their nutrients to the cancer cells. As a result, healthy cells die, while cancer cells can then continue to grow and spread.
Looking into the future
In addition, when cell competition takes place between cancer cells, it can lead to some cancer cells developing resistance to chemo or other targeted therapies. These resistant cells survive and multiply, making treatment less effective.
The researchers that by better understanding cell competition and how cancer hijacks it, they can ultimately design new ways to treat cancer and stop it becoming resistant to treatment.
While more research is needed to see how these findings could help develop new treatments for people with breast cancer, this exciting study deepens our understanding of cell competition and its role in cancer spread and survival. In the UK, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes and sadly around 11,500 people die from the disease each year. Research like this could pave the way for kinder and more effective treatments which are urgently needed.
Ben Atkinson
Head of research communications and engagement at Breast Cancer Now
This study was published in the journal Developmental Cell and funded by Breast Cancer Now and Cancer Research UK.
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Pascal just one of many scientists we fund hoping to find new, better treatments for breast cancer. To help us continue this work, please consider donating.