A tumor’s necrotic core contains factors that appear to promote metastasis, or the seeding of tumors cells throughout the body, according to a new study in rats by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Researchers hope their findings, which will be published the week of Feb. 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, lead to a better understanding of how to cure metastatic, or stage 4 cancers, which are treatable but not curable.
“Tumor necrotic cores are a fairly common phenomenon, but they haven’t been linked to cancer metastasis until recently,” said lead author Ami Yamamoto, a Fred Hutch graduate student working in the Cheung Lab. “Our research put together observations other people have made into the specific context of breast cancer metastasis. Our work shows a link between necrosis, circulating tumor cells and cancer metastasis.”
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