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Updated: May 24, 2026

Tracking Tumor Cell Dissemination from Lung Metastases Using Photoconversion
Published on: July 7, 2023
Tumor-infiltrating granulocytic cells promote cancer cell dissemination
1Singapore Immunology Network, BMSI-A-STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove, #04-06 Immunos, Singapore 138648.
Abstract:
Most studies aimed at understanding the link between inflammation and cancer progression have focused on macrophages. In a recent study published in PLoS Biology, Toh B et al (2011) Mesenchymal transition and dissemination of cancer cells is driven by myeloid-derived suppressor cells infiltrating the primary tumorPLoS Biol9 e1001162, we show that a subset of granulocytic cells already known to suppress antitumour immune responses also promotes cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by inducing epithelial to mesenchymal transition. This subset plays a key role in early dissemination of cancer cells throughout the body and may therefore represent a novel target for therapeutic intervention.
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