Startling new findings about the way breast cancer spreads around the body were unveiled last night.
Breast cancer becomes dangerous when it spreads from the breast – and the research in Scotland, UK, reveals how it does this.
Scientists have discovered that cancer cells "puncture holes" in neighbouring tissue and then "crawl" through it.
This is achieved by a protein called N-WASP which rearranges breast cells to form sharp points.
Tackling N-WASP might help prevent the spread of the cancer, according to researchers.
The findings were reported in the Journal of Cell Biology.
Researcher Dr Laura Machesky, at Cancer Research UK’s Beatson Institute in Glasgow, said: "Our exciting results reveal a completely new process by which cells can break away from a tumour to invade surrounding spaces and spread around the body.
"We found that cells assemble specialised structures, with the ability to hold onto the surrounding tissue matrix and dig tunnels into it, which they can then crawl through."
She added: "Our research suggests that N-WASP is a promising target for the development of drugs to combat cancer spread. We were particularly intrigued because blocking N-WASP activity didn’t affect healthy cells, so we think that N-WASP could be specifically targeted to prevent cancer spread."
Journal of Cell Biology October 23 2012
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