Scientists from Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main found that dying colon cancer cells trigger the production of signaling molecules that increase the chances of survival of the remaining tumor cells. The research was published in the journal Nature.
Biologists have studied the processes that occur when chemotherapy drugs kill colon cancer cells. It turns out that when they die, they release ATP molecules (adenosine triphosphate). This substance binds to certain receptors (P2X4 purine receptors) on the surface of surrounding tumor cells.
An important signaling pathway is then activated, which protects cancer cells from death and renders the tumor resistant to treatment. Scientists have also shown that if the connection between dying tumor cells and their neighbors is severed, this greatly increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
The study’s authors stressed that their work shows that, despite years of successful work, unknown mechanisms are still being discovered that show how tumor cells subtly evade treatment. Scientists hope that their future discoveries will increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment.