The Role of Collagen in Keeping Cancer Cells Dormant: A New Frontier in Cancer Treatment
Every year, cancer remains on the list of top causes of death for humans around the world. For this reason, scientists are still searching for solutions. In 2021, researchers discovered that a certain type of collagen seems to prevent dormant cancer cells from becoming active. This could change how we treat cancer in the future.
Researchers Discover Collagen Keeps Cancer Dormant
Research came out in 2021 in the journal Nature Cancer about the role of a certain type of collagen and cancer prevention. Scientists found that in mice, dormant cancer cells were surrounded by larger amounts of a specific type of collagen than active cancer cells. Collagen is the main protein that makes up connective tissue. (1)
The team then looked at patients with head and neck cancer and saw this collagen. The specific type of collagen they found in both cases is called type III collagen. Patients whose cancer had spread to their lymph nodes tended to have primary tumors with less type III collagen nearby than patients with no cancer in their lymph nodes.
The researchers say that this suggests that cancer with less type III collagen might spread more easily to other parts of the body. Essentially, this type III collagen keeps the cancer cells dormant. When that collagen decreases, the cancer then becomes active. (2)
