BTN News: Colorectal cancer often spreads to the liver because of how blood flows in our bodies. Andreas Moor, the lead researcher, explains that blood rich with nutrients from the intestines first goes to the liver. The liver processes these nutrients, and for colorectal cancer cells, it becomes a final stop where they get caught in the liver’s capillaries. The research team found that liver cells play a big role in helping cancer cells settle there. Using advanced tests on genetically modified mice, they discovered that certain surface proteins are crucial. Liver cells with a protein called Plexin-B2 and colorectal cancer cells with proteins from the Semaphorin family can stick together.
Cancer cells with Semaphorins on their surface are especially dangerous. The study shows that colorectal cancer spreads to the liver more quickly and often if the tumor has a lot of Semaphorins. Scientists already knew about the role of Plexin and Semaphorin in nerve cells, where they help nerve cells grow correctly. Moor and his team found that direct contact between Plexin and Semaphorin causes major changes in colorectal cancer cells. These changes allow the cancer cells to break away from the primary tumor in the intestines.
Once in the bloodstream, the cancer cells look like connective tissue cells, called mesenchyme. But when they reach the liver, thanks to Plexin in some liver cells, they return to their original form through a process called epithelialization. Moor says this can be seen because the cancer cells form folds or crypts similar to those in the intestines.
If we can stop the interaction between Plexin and Semaphorin, we might prevent new tumors from forming. Early on, when these cell relationships are not strong, tumor metastases are particularly weak. This discovery could lead to new treatments that target these interactions and stop colorectal cancer from spreading to the liver.
In Spain, about 6,630 new cases of liver cancer are diagnosed each year, with 4,976 in men and 1,654 in women, according to the Spanish Cancer Observatory of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). Around 5,270 people die from liver cancer each year in Spain. There is growing concern because the number of liver cancer cases and deaths has been increasing in recent years.
Learning how colorectal cancer cells and liver cells interact could change cancer treatment. By focusing on the molecular interactions that help cancer spread, doctors and scientists can create therapies to stop cancer from forming new tumors in the liver. This research offers hope for better outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer.
