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Neuron-tumor crosstalk fuels small cell lung cancer
1Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China; Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China; National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
None:
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progression relies on neuronal activity, yet the mechanisms remain unclear. Two recent studies by Savchuk et al. and Sakthivelu et al. reveal that SCLC co-opts vagal and sympathetic inputs and forms glutamatergic or GABAergic synapse-like connections with neurons, uncovering direct neuron-tumor crosstalk as a key driver of malignancy and a potential therapeutic vulnerability.
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