Key Points:
- Researchers have shown how dying tumor cells try to warn—and save—active cells.
- If communication between the dying cells and neighboring cells is interrupted, however, chemotherapy treatment is much more effective.
- Researchers are working to test the new therapeutic concept in patients.
A new study from researchers in Germany shows dying tumor cells communicate with active ones to relay information on how to stay alive.
When chemotherapeutic agents cause colon cancer cells to die, they release adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules as a messenger substance. This ATP binds to certain receptors (P2X4 purinoreceptors) on the surface of surrounding tumor cells. This activates an important survival signaling pathway in these neighboring cells, which protects them from cell death and makes the tumor resistant to therapy.
Essentially, the cells killed off by the chemotherapy “warn” their neighboring cells, and at the same time provide them with a survival strategy. However, as the researchers showed in their study, if the communication between the dying tumor cells and their neighbors is interrupted, this raises the efficiency of the chemotherapy many times over. Additionally, according to the study results, tumors that were initially resistant responded very well to the treatment.
The researchers say the study results offer a new and promising starting point for improving the response rate of advanced colorectal carcinomas to common chemotherapeutic agents by means of combination therapy.
“We were surprised to see that tumor cells have developed communication mechanisms to the point that even the dying ones play an active role in ensuring their neighbors’ survival when under therapeutic ‘attack’. We hope very much that by interrupting the communication between the cells we can achieve this tremendous increase in the effect of standard therapy in patients as well,” said study author Florian Greten.
The Germany-based team now wants to work with colleagues at the Frankfurt Cancer Institute to test the new therapeutic concept in human patients.
Information provided by Goethe University Frankfurt.