2014-11-27 11:23:43
Cancer can be considered a wound that never heals
Until recently, cancer research has focused primarily on trying to understand the characteristics of cancer cells that lead to their uncontrolled growth. Perhaps the only exceptions to this situation have been research on how cancer stimulates the growth of new blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to the tumor, and research on how tumors avoid the action of the immune system. The advances made in the understanding of these processes have led to important progress in the treatment of numerous types of tumors. However, some types of cancers continue to resist science and medicine.
One of the tumors most resistant to anticancer treatment is pancreatic cancer. Recent research has begun to reveal why, and has confirmed that the growth of many tumors, and in particular that of the pancreas, requires teamwork in which both the tumor cells and some normal cells that surround the tumor participate. In some cases, normal cells, “deceived” by the tumor, stimulate it and protect it from both internal attacks, from the immune system, and external attacks, from chemotherapeutic agents. Why does this happen?
Some tissues or organs have more effective regeneration systems than those normally found in the body in general. This is the case of the liver, an organ that has amazing regenerative properties, and also the pancreas. Both organs have an interesting type of cell, called stellate cell. These cells are normally static (quiescent, in scientific terms), but they activate and divide if they detect any damage to the tissue to repair it.
The stellate cells of the pancreas (hereinafter, CEP) play a very important role in the maintenance of this organ. In the quiescent state, in which they do not reproduce, PSCs are cells rich in lipids that contain vitamin A, and produce few components of the so-called extracellular matrix, a set of proteins and substances that give structure to tissues and organs and maintain to the cells organized within them. If damage occurs to the pancreas for any reason, the CEP are activated, lose the lipids they stored and become fibrous cells with the capacity to reproduce and generate a large amount of components of the extracellular matrix. These properties enable them to repair the damage caused. Once this is repaired, the CEPs are deactivated and return to their original state.
Protective layer
However, under conditions of chronic damage, persistent activation of CEPs leads to the generation of fibrosis. This is what happens when cancer occurs, which can be considered, in this case, a wound that never heals. It is also known that cancer cells certainly produce substances that activate PSCs, so pancreatic cancer ends up being surrounded by a fibrous layer of these activated cells that protects it and prevents harmful substances from reaching it. such as chemotherapeutic agents.
A large international group of researchers said that one way to fight pancreatic cancer could be to find a method to prevent the activation of PSCs by the tumor. If achieved, fibrosis would be avoided and the tumor would no longer be protected by these cells, which would make it more susceptible to conventional chemotherapy treatments.
In previous work, the researchers had discovered that the stellate cells of the liver, once activated, could return to the quiescent state if they were treated with a derivative of vitamin D. However, the PSCs did not seem to have the vitamin receptor protein D, without which this vitamin cannot be detected by cells and cannot, therefore, exert any effect. Additionally, other previous studies have indicated that vitamin D does not appear to have any beneficial effect on the progression of pancreatic cancer.
However, in science it is never a good idea to throw in the towel too soon. The now more detailed study of the PSCs located around pancreatic tumors has revealed that these cells do have high levels of the vitamin D receptor. By treating them with the vitamin D derivative that deactivated the stellate cells of the liver, PSCs also regained their quiescent state.
So why has vitamin D been shown to be ineffective against pancreatic cancer? Researchers discover that PSCs rapidly destroy vitamin D, preventing it from binding to its receptor. The vitamin D derivative used in this study, on the other hand, has a chemical structure that prevents it from being degraded, so it is effective in deactivating cells.
These new data, published in the journal Cell, open a door of hope to increase the effectiveness of treatments against terrible and resistant pancreatic cancer. In addition, they also encourage us to study whether the vitamin D derivative used in this study can be effective in helping to treat other types of tumors, such as lung or liver tumors. In any case, the lesson we must not forget is that sometimes it may be more appropriate to attack your enemy’s friend than the enemy himself.
NEW WORK BY JORGE LABORDA.
It can be purchased here:
Chained circumstances. Ed. Lulu
Other works by Jorge Laborda
One Moon, one civilization. Why the Moon tells us that we are alone in the Universe
One Moon one civilization why the Moon tells us we are alone in the universe
The intelligence funnel and other essays
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