Researchers discover a small group of highly plastic cancer cells that drive tumor evolution and drug resistance. A team from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center used a sophisticated cell‑tracking system in a mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma and found that these cells rapidly generate diverse tumor cell types and survive chemotherapy. The proportion of plastic cells rises from about 3 % in precancerous lesions to 30 % in metastases. Early removal of the cells in mice halted tumor progression, while targeting a surface protein called uPAR with CAR‑T cells reduced the plastic population and shrank tumors. The findings suggest that uPAR‑directed therapies could curb the growth of resistant cancer cells and open new treatment avenues.
Original article can be found here.