Bowel Cancer Cells Can "Shapeshift" to Resemble Skin or Muscle Cells, Experts Discover

Strategic Insights -

Scientists from the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre and the University of Edinburgh have made a groundbreaking discovery about the behavior of aggressive bowel cancer cells. According to their study, these cells can lose their identity and adapt to resemble skin or muscle cells, enabling them to spread more aggressively. This phenomenon, known as cellular plasticity, is a key step in the metastasis of bowel cancer. The research team hopes that understanding this mechanism will lead to the development of new treatments to prevent the cancer from spreading.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that aggressive bowel cancer cells can lose their identity and adapt to resemble skin cells, which can tolerate harsher conditions due to their role in protecting the outside of the body.
  • This cellular plasticity is an important element in bowel cancer metastasis, making it harder to treat.
  • The research team discovered that bowel cancer cells can also adapt to resemble muscle cells, which are more robust than other types of cells.
  • The study highlights the importance of understanding how aggressive bowel cancer grows and develops, particularly in younger people.
  • The research has implications for the development of new treatments to prevent bowel cancer from spreading.
  • Dr. Kevin Myant and Lead Researcher Dr. Patrizia Cammareri are the key researchers involved in the study.
  • The study received funding from the Medical Research Council and the European Research Council.
  • Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK, claiming the lives of 16,800 people in Britain, including 1,700 in Scotland, every year.
  • Early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied, with a higher increase in young women in Scotland and England than in young men.

Statistics:

  • 4,000 Scots are diagnosed with bowel cancer annually, according to Cancer Research UK.
  • 1,700 people die from bowel cancer in Scotland each year.
  • 16,800 people in Britain die from bowel cancer every year.
  • Early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied.
  • Rates of early-onset bowel cancer are increasing faster in young women in Scotland and England than in young men.

Sources:

  • scotsman.com
  • The Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre and the University of Edinburgh
  • The Cancer Society (published in The Lancet Oncology)
  • Nature (where the research paper is published)
  • Medical Research Council (funding source)
  • European Research Council (funding source)
  • Cancer Research UK (statistics on bowel cancer)