"Cancer cells are comfy havens for bacteria. That conclusion arises from a rigorous study of over 1,000 tumor samples of different human cancers. The study ... found bacteria living inside the cells of all the cancer types – from brain to bone to breast cancer – and even identified unique populations of bacteria residing in each type of cancer. ... several years ago, discovered bacteria lurking within human pancreatic tumor cells; these bacteria were shown to protect cancer cells from chemotherapy drugs by “digesting” and inactivating these drugs. ... It was the breast cancers, however, that had the largest number and diversity of bacteria. ... The team also reported that bacteria can be found not only in cancer cells, but also in immune cells that reside inside tumors. ... For example, when the team compared the bacteria found in lung tumors from smokers with those from patients who had never smoked, they found variances. These differences stood out more clearly when the researchers compared the genes of these two groups of bacteria: Those from the smokers’ lung cancer cells had many more genes for metabolizing nicotine, toluene, phenol and other chemicals that are found in cigarette smoke. ..."
Cells inside Cells: The Bacteria That Live in Cancer Cells The bacterial lodgers in cancer cells may hinder or help treatment
No comments:
Post a Comment