Cancer is a medical concern that, by and large, still seeks for an ultimate cure. Though there are types of cancer that can be cured if detected early, an overall cancer cure is still elusive. That might prove to be difficult as scientists have discovered that cancer cells could adapt to its environment.
Like other living organisms, cancer cells could be adaptable. The cancer cells are found to adapt to the metabolism of the organs that they come in contact with. This has been discovered by a Belgian research group led by Professor Sarah-Maria Fendt, according to Science Daily. The research has focused on cancer tumors metastasized in the lungs from breast cancer.
In the study, researchers have seen that the lung tumor converts nutrients into biomass differently from the one in breast cancer. Though breast cancer is being treated successfully, those who die from complications are due to the cancer cells spreading to other areas such as the lungs. Currently, 90 percent of deaths are due to breast cancer having transferred to other organs.
Current treatment for metastases cancer is based primarily on the area where the cancer originated, such as the beast in breast cancer, as the VIB-Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology site notes. However such treatments would often fail.
Professor Fendt has noted that cancer cells use two major pathways in building biomass for tumor growth. She has cited an example with the lung cancer tumor, where it would likely use one of those methods in building biomass as opposed to the main cancer tumor. With this shift in how cancer tumors work, treatments based on the main cancer tumor could become ineffective.
The study shows that cancer metastases should use different treatments than the one used for the primary cancer. Professor Fendt has said that her team would later on focus on those who have advanced stages of breast cancer. She also said that they will look into the microenvironment at the time the cancer is spreading to see how it affects cancer growth.
Researchers have also discovered that working the night shift doesn't affect breast cancer occurrence.
