A team of scientists from Kazan Federal University identified the main areas of metastasis of tumors of unidentified primary localization (UNPL), socialbites.ca was informed about this by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
In the case of ONPL, the primary tumor focus is so small that the disease can only be detected during the development of metastases, which is a negative factor for the patient and an extremely difficult task for oncologists. Approximately 80% of ONPL patients have an unfavorable prognosis, and only half of them will survive 6 months after diagnosis. In order to correctly choose effective treatment, it is necessary to determine the localization of the metastasized tumor, as well as by what principle they choose the organ that will give rise to a new, so-called secondary tumor.
A theory of metastasis proposes that a suitable environment must be present in the surrounding tissue for metastases to grow. This means that a secondary tumor develops in tissues where environmental conditions were initially suitable for its growth. Thus, once we determine where metastases are located, we can estimate the location of the primary tumor.
Scientists are now studying the processes of metastasis in various types of cancer to get closer to unraveling the mysteries of ONPL.
“We collected statistical data on the most common sites of metastasis of tumors with known primary localization, the localization of metastatic foci in ONPL, and the frequency of detection of primary foci for each of them. For example, neoplasms in ACPL are most often found in the liver, lungs and pleura, in the central nervous system, It has been found to be found in the peritoneum and lymph nodes. In this case, lung cancer is the culprit for the development of metastases in the brain, liver and bones. If OPPL is detected in the lung, the culprit is prostate and thyroid cancer. In some cases, this coincides with the way metastases spread in cancers where the primary tumor is already known, but in others it is not. Kazan Federal Regina Miftakhova, head of the Translational Oncology Research Laboratory of the University, shared with socialbites.ca.
The team next plans to conduct an experimental study to identify and profile rare tumor cells circulating in the blood to identify the most aggressive phenotypes and identify new potential markers of metastasis.
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