Certain tumor types do not remain at their point of origin but spread throughout the body and form metastases. This is because the primary tumor continuously releases cancer cells into the blood. These circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can join together into small clusters of up to a dozen cells and settle in other organs.
There, the clusters grow into larger tumors, known as metastases. Metastatic tumors are still a major medical problem: every year, around seven million people worldwide die from them. One example of such a spreading tumor is breast cancer.
As soon as the primary tumor forms metastases, the chances of survival decrease drastically. Tens of thousands of women worldwide still die of metastatic breast cancer . Oncologists are therefore looking for ways to weaken or destroy the clusters in order to prevent the formation of metastases.
Significantly reduced risk of metastases In a new study, which has just been published in the journal Nature Medicine, a team of researchers from ETH Zurich, the University Hospitals of Basel and Zurich, and the Basel-Land Cantonal Hospital, shows a new, promising approach. In a clinical study, the researchers administered the drug digoxin at a low and safe dosage for one week to nine patients with metastatic breast cancer. The result: the number of cells per cluster decreased significantly – by an average of 2.
2 cells. Given that typical cluster sizes are only a handful of cells, this means a significant reduction in the risk of me.
