Wounds may aggravate the growth of the skin cancer melanoma, researchers warned yesterday.
Laboratory studies suggest that in its early stages cancer can hijack the healing process to boost itself.
Researchers say the findings may suggest caution in using surgical treatments to tackle cancer.
They may also show how a patient’s natural response to scratch an itching patch of skin may aggravate disease.
The findings come from a study of zebrafish conducted by research teams in Denmark and at the universities of Bristol and Cardiff, UK.
They were reported in the EMBO Journal yesterday.
Researcher Professor Paul Martin said: “Our results provide direct visual evidence of a physical link between wound-associated inflammation and the development of melanoma.
“White blood cells, in particular neutrophils, that typically serve as part of the body’s built-in immune system are usurped by nearby precancerous skin cells in a way that leads to the proliferation of tumour cells in our zebrafish model experimental system of human melanoma.”
He added: “Our studies to date suggest that several strategies might improve outcomes for patients including the possible use of therapeutics to dampen damage-induced inflammatory responses.”
The wound inflammatory response exacerbates growth of pre-neoplastic cells and progression to cancer. EMBO Journal 1 July 2015
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