RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

摘要

Two groups have found that certain non-cancerous cells that surround a tumour in the pancreas keep it in check, even though these cells seem to boost other types of cancer. Raghu Kalluri at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and his colleagues deleted fibroblast cells, which are found in connective tissue, in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer. These animals had more aggressive tumours and died sooner than those with fibroblasts. These cells seem to help the immune system to fight the tumour. In human pancreatic tissue samples, those with fewer fibroblasts were associated with lower patient survival rates.