Noncancerous tissue (stroma) surrounding cancers of the throat and cervix play an important role in regulating the spread of cancer cells, according to researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, U.K. (European Molecular Biology Organization Journal, May 29, 2012).
The discovery could lead to the development of new therapies, which would target the noncancerous cells surrounding a tumor, as well as treating the tumor itself, according to the university.
The research opens the door for the development of new treatments which, by targeting this noncancerous tissue, could prevent it being invaded by neighboring cancer cells.
The researchers discovered that a particular protein in noncancerous tissue has the ability to either open or close the communication pathway between the healthy tissue and the tumor. When the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) in noncancerous tissue is activated, this leads to a decrease in factors that encourage invasion by cancer cells and prevents the spread of cancer, the study found.
The Rb protein is found in both cancer and noncancerous tissue. Its importance in regulating the growth of cancer cells from within tumors is already well-documented, but this is the first time scientists have identified the role of the Rb found in healthy tissue in encouraging or discouraging the spread of cancer.
The research was conducted using three-dimensional tissue samples to replicate the stroma tissue found around cancers of the throat and cervix.
