Cilia on cells adjacent to tumours can impact signalling that influences cancer growth and response to treatment

Source: eCancer News, June 2018

A growing body of research shows that cilia, minuscule protuberances on the surface of some cells, play a pivotal role in determining whether cancer cells grow, spread, and respond to therapy.

In a perspective article discussing current research published in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, Erica Golemis, PhD, deputy chief science officer at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and co-authors from China and Russia, report that a new understanding of cilia has implications for the behaviour of cancer drugs and tumours.

“Both tumour progression and therapeutic response depend on interactions between cancer cells and nearby non-cancerous cells within the tumour microenvironment,” according to the perspective.