Cancer Cells Can't Proliferate and Invade at the Same Time - Scientific American - 0 views
-
Lottie Peppers on 12 Jan 16The worst cancer cells don't sit still. Instead they metastasize-migrate from their original sites and establish new tumors in other parts of the body. Once a cancer spreads, it is harder to eliminate. A study by developmental biologists offers a fresh clue to how cancer cells acquire the ability to invade other tissues-a prerequisite for metastasis. It reveals that invasion requires cells to stop dividing. Therefore, the two processes- invasion and proliferation-are mutually exclusive. The finding could inform cancer therapies, which typically target rapidly proliferating cancer cells.