Adhesiveness of cancer cells linked to spread risk, study finds

Research published in Biophysical Journal has indicated that tumour cells that stick less to surrounding cells are more likely to migrate and spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer cells spread by detaching and migrating away from the primary tumour to form a secondary, site. It is hoped study’s findings could eventually help identify cancer patients who need aggressive treatment at an early stage, by identifying which cancers are most likely to spread.

So far, attempts to find a marker that identifies these kinds of cells across tumour types have been unsuccessful.

This study details involved building a custom spinning disc device that was able to measure the adhesion strength of breast and prostate cancer cells - and how much force was needed to detach them.

Dr Adam Engler, one of the lead authors of the study explained: "There is no common biological marker that says that a tumour is more likely to spread. However, our device shows that there may in fact be a physical marker that is predictive of the likelihood of spreading."

"Patients should realise that that the timing for these results to hit even the initial clinical trials is several years away."

Dr Justine Alford, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "Cancers moving to new areas of the body is the main reason why people die from the disease, and is a process we don't fully understand.

"This study helps us to understand more about how cancer cells can spread in the lab and helps build a clearer picture of cancer development.”