Scientists determined how lung cancer cells can become "unstuck" and spread, according to a new study.
The researchers found that a routine maintenance procedure, where worn out cells are removed from the lung so they can break down and be recycled, can go terribly wrong at times and cause the cancer to spread, reported Medical News Today.
"This important research shows for the first time how lung cancer cells sever ties with their neighbors and start to spread around the body, by hijacking the cells' recycling process and sending it into overdrive. Targeting this flaw could help stop lung cancer from spreading," lead researcher Dr. Angeliki Malliri said to Medical News Today.
These cancer cells accidentally become "unstuck" in the lung when there is an overabundance of the HUWE1 protein, which controls the disposal of TIAM1.
The HUWE1 protein has been previously linked to tumor formations, but this study is the first to also link the protein to the disposal of the TIAM1 protein, reported Medical News Today.
The findings of this study are vital to the treatment of cancer because doctors can be aware of this procedure that accidentally spreads the cancerous cells.
Lung cancer, like most other cancers, has a better chance of being successfully treated if caught early - before it spreads. This study will further help doctors contain the disease and keep it from spreading, which could help the success rates of treatment.
"Early-stage research like this is essential to find treatments which could one day block cancer spread - which would be a game changer," Nell Barrie, senior science information manager at Cancer Research UK, who was not involved in the study, said to Medical News Today.
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
