A type of normal cell often found in cancerous growths may be the reason for the failure of anti-cancer vaccines.
Stromal cells may act to protect tumours from the body's immune system, a study in the journal Science reports.
Cambridge University scientists eliminated some of these cells in mice, and shrank their lung tumours.
Cancer Research UK said the study offered exciting clues to how cancer recruited healthy cells, and how to prevent that happening.
Tumours are not just made up of cancer cells - often these are interspersed with normal cells carrying on with their normal functions.
Stromal cells are part of the body's connective tissue, helping provide fibres and structures to support other tissues and cells.
The Cambridge study suggests that, in some tumours at least, their activity is holding back the immune system from launching attacks which could shrink or destroy tumours.
This is particularly relevant for vaccines used as treatments once a patient is diagnosed with cancer, which aim to boost this immune response.
The failure of these vaccines to significantly affect tumours, even though they provoke an immune response in the body, has been a mystery to scientists.
The stromal cells in question have a protein on their surface called fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP), which normally has a role in wound healing.
Full article and link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11697871
Stromal cells may act to protect tumours from the body's immune system, a study in the journal Science reports.
Cambridge University scientists eliminated some of these cells in mice, and shrank their lung tumours.
Cancer Research UK said the study offered exciting clues to how cancer recruited healthy cells, and how to prevent that happening.
Tumours are not just made up of cancer cells - often these are interspersed with normal cells carrying on with their normal functions.
Stromal cells are part of the body's connective tissue, helping provide fibres and structures to support other tissues and cells.
The Cambridge study suggests that, in some tumours at least, their activity is holding back the immune system from launching attacks which could shrink or destroy tumours.
This is particularly relevant for vaccines used as treatments once a patient is diagnosed with cancer, which aim to boost this immune response.
The failure of these vaccines to significantly affect tumours, even though they provoke an immune response in the body, has been a mystery to scientists.
The stromal cells in question have a protein on their surface called fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP), which normally has a role in wound healing.
Full article and link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11697871
