Ah-choo very much for the body to handle.
Viral infections such as influenza and Covid-19 can “awaken” the breast cancer cells that hide in the lungs, paving the way for deadly metastatic disease, a new study reveals.
“Our findings show that individuals with a history of cancer can benefit from taking precautions against respiratory viruses,” said Julio Aguirre-Gliso, a study co-leader and Montefiorein director Einstein Institute of Cancer Center of Bronx Cancer Center, in a statement.
Almost all cancers have the potential to spread, or metastasized, in remote parts of the body.
Cancer cells can detach from the original tumor and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form new tumors in other organs.
These fraudulent cells can enter a “dormant state” to avoid detection, chemotherapy, and other treatments that are targeted rapidly.
Researchers have long suspected that chronic inflammation – when the body stays in an elevated alarm state long after the initial infection or damage has passed – it can reactivate these dormant cells, allowing them to spread and create new tumors.
The theory was strengthened during the pandemic, when anecdotal reports suggested a possible increase in cancer death levels, Aguirre-Griso said.
Most cancer deaths are due to metastatic disease instead of initial tumor.
To prove the theory, the Aguirre-Gliso team exposed mice with metastatic breast cancer and cancer cells dormant in their lungs in the flu or coronavirus.
In both cases, infections induced sleep cells in the lungs, causing a snow effect that led to metastatic lesions within two weeks.
“Sleeping Cancer Cells are like noodles left in an abandoned fire, and respiratory viruses are like a strong breeze that reigns the flames,” explained James Deregori, a senior author of the study and deputy director of the University of Colorado Center.
This process appears to be led by Interleukin 6 (IL-6), a major protein that is essential in regulating immune responses, inflammation and other biological processes.
The drug designed to block the activity of IL-6 can prevent or reduce the revival of metastasis after a viral infection, said Aguirre-Griso.
The findings were recently published in the journal Nature.
Although this study was carried out in mice, the Aguirre-Griso team identified research linking respiratory infections in patients with cancer with cancer metastasis.
The team plans to explore other types of cancer and other places of metastatic disease.
“Viral respiratory infections are permanently part of our lives, so we need to understand the long -term consequences of these infections,” Deregori said.
Dr. Karishma Kolipara – a breast surgeon at Staten Island Northwell University Hospital – said the study underlines the importance of preventive strategies for respiratory viruses, such as vaccination, and early detection of these infections, especially in cancer patients.
Treatment of infection can quickly trim the symptoms and inhibit the harmful effects of persistent inflammation.
“Increased risk of cancer risk are not a new phenomenon in medicine – HPV is known for increasing the risk of cervical cancer, and the treatment of Helicobacter pylori is known to reduce the risk of stomach cancer,” Kolipara said, who was not part of the new study, said the post.
“The usual thread is the preventive measure, such as early examination and treatment to reduce the general inflammatory and immune response.”
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