The team led by Eduard Batlle from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Barcelona has identified the cells which normally remain hidden after the main tumour is surgically removed. This finding will have great contributions to the future therapy and diagnosis of one of the most common forms of cancer.
From using a mouse as a model organism, the researchers have concluded that immunotherapy before the surgical removal of the primary tumour can eliminate residual cells, through a process known as ‘high relapse cells’ (HRCs). High relapse cells remain hidden after surgery as, until now, the cells managed to evade current diagnostic techniques. Consequently, HRCs are responsible for the spread of cancer which commonly reappears after a few years, and leads to the metastasis of colon cancer to a secondary site.
The experiment leading to the discovery involved a mouse with residual HRCs in the liver after the surgical removal of the primary tumour. These key cells were tracked down mainly thanks to the presence of a specific protein inside them (Emp1) which could be localised through tracking techniques. Batlle’s team permanently eliminated these cells that multiply with time using immunotherapy and preventing their re-apparition and spread after surgery in the mouse.
This discovery has significant potential solutions for those with colon cancer as it is the second most common cancer in the UK. The World Health Organisation states that 10% of all cancer fatalities are due to colon cancer in the UK. These residual cells are accountable for a large proportion of relapses appearing in surgically treated patients. This finding, published in Nature, opens the door to future research targeting HRCs, which have the potential to produce positive outcomes in the battle against colon cancer, bringing us one step closer to winning the fight against cancer.
