How cancer cells break free from tumors: Study identifies adhesion molecules key to cancer’s spread through the body
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - 13:01
in Health & Medicine
Although tumor metastasis causes about 90 percent of cancer deaths, the exact mechanism that allows cancer cells to spread from one part of the body to another is not well understood. One key question is how tumor cells detach from the structural elements that normally hold tissues in place, then reattach themselves in a new site. A new study reveals some of the cellular adhesion molecules that are critical to this process.