Stanford Study Finds Lung Cancer Cells Hide, Thrive in the Brain
Researchers from Stanford Medicine have found that lung cancer cells can spread to the brain and hide from the immune system by pretending to be “baby neurons.” After originating in the lungs, these cancer cells can metastasize into the brain and avoid detection by convincing neural cells that they’re juvenile neurons through the secretion of a certain chemical signal. These cancer cells secrete a chemical message/signal that is ubiquitous during times of brain development, which attracts brain cells called astrocytes to the cells. This chemical signal encourages the astrocytes to secrete other chemical signals that protect the lung cancer cells…
