FRIDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) — U.S. medicine hat news paper
have
discovered that bone marrow stem cells attracted to an area of cancer
growth pharma
take on the outward appearance of the cancer cells
around them.
But they say it's not clear that these stem cells actually help cancer
develop.
Many scientists believe that the bone marrow stem cells do boost the
growth and spread of cancer. But the University of Florida researchers say
the stem cells may simply resemble the surrounding cancer cells, but not
act like them.
The bone marrow stem cells “have the same kind of surface proteins” as
cancer cells, noted study author Dr. Chris Cogle, an assistant professor
of medicine at UF's College of Medicine Program in Stem Cell Biology and
Regenerative Medicine.
But while the stem cells have the “same skin” as the surrounding cancer
cells, the question is whether “they have the same guts,” Cogle said.
“Our results indicate these cells act as developmental mimics; they
come in and look like the surrounding neoplastic tissue, but they aren't
actually the seed of cancer,” Cogle said in a prepared statement.
“At the worst, these cells could help support cancerous tissue by
providing it with growth factors or proteins that help the cancer grow and
survive. At the very least, these marrow cells are just being tricked into
coming into the cancerous emergency medicine news
and then made to walk and talk like
they don't usually do,” the researcher said.
The study will be published in the August issue of urnal Stem
Cells.
Cogle noted that about five percent of cancerous tissue contains
marrow-derived cells that resemble surrounding cancer cells. This
“developmental mimicry” could affect the results of tests of new drugs on
malignant tissue grown in the laboratory.
“If there are bone marrow cells in this cancerous tissue, these (bone
marrow stem) cells may actually contaminate our cancer studies and could
make a difference as to whether or not investigational drugs we're testing
work or don't work,” Cogle said.
“The medicine hat news obituary
of this is new treatments may work in the culture
dish but may not translate to the clinic or the hospital room, and for
many reasons. One of the reasons could be bone marrow contamination,” the
expert said.
More information
The U.S.
National Cancer Institute has more about cancer.
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