Certain Breast Cancer Cells Spur Metastasis to Bones
Researchers are coming a little bit closer to determining which breast cancer cells will go on to spread through the body, and which won't, but now a new study has found that certain cancer cells have a way of thriving that helps them move on to other parts of the body, like our bones. According to newswise.com, "When a cancer cell sloughs off the edge of a tumor in the breast, it faces a tough road to survive. The cell must not only remain physically intact as it rushes through blood vessels, but it also must find a new organ to lodge itself in, take in enough nutrients and oxygen to stay alive, and begin dividing, all while escaping notice by the body’s immune system." Scientists in the new study found that some loose breast cancer cells "have a leg up on survival—the genes they express make them more likely to prosper in bone tissue." Newswise.com reports that the team also found that whether or not cancer cells turn on those genes depends on what their