Researchers from Stanford University have found that when lung cancer cells spread to the brain, local brain cells release unique substances that support the cancer’s survival. The discovery was reported in Nature Cell Biology.
Small cell lung cancer makes up about 10% to 15% of all lung cancers and has a notable tendency to metastasize to the brain. As a result, roughly 15% to 20% of patients already harbor cancer cells in the brain at the time of lung cancer diagnosis. Because of this, clinicians sometimes consider brain radiation therapy even before metastases become detectable.
In a recent study, scientists devised a method to inject laboratory-grown small cell lung cancer cells into the brains of mice. Concurrently, astrocytes, specialized brain cells, migrated into the tumor and began producing proteins crucial for brain development, including factors that promote nerve growth. The researchers found that astrocytes behave like young neurons that protect tumor cells.
“Small cell lung cancer is known for its capacity to spread to the brain and to grow in an environment that is usually unfriendly to tumor expansion. Our study shows that these cancer cells reconfigure the brain’s microenvironment to recruit astrocytes for their defense,” the authors explained.
Blocking a chemical signal that supports the survival of lung cancer cells could offer a strategy to slow or halt the growth of brain metastases in small cell lung cancer, according to scientists.
Previous findings in related research push the conversation beyond metastasis alone and into the broader inquiry of how brain tissue responds to invading cancer cells, highlighting how tumor cells can manipulate supportive cells in the brain to create a more favorable niche for growth. These insights contribute to ongoing work aimed at developing targeted therapies that interrupt the tumor-supporting dialogue within the brain. — Nature Cell Biology