Tejal Somvanshi
Scottish scientists have discovered how bowel cancer spreads through the body by changing its appearance. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh found that bowel cancer cells can “shapeshift” to look like skin or muscle cells, helping them travel more easily to other organs.
This discovery explains why some bowel cancers are more aggressive. When cancer cells change their identity – a process scientists call “cellular plasticity” – they become tougher and better at surviving harsh conditions.
“With more and more younger people being diagnosed with bowel cancer, it’s vital we understand how this disease grows and develops,” said Dr. Kevin Myant from the University of Edinburgh. “Our research has discovered one way that aggressive bowel cancer is able to spread is by ‘shapeshifting’ to resemble skin or muscle cells rather than bowel cancer cells.”
The research team studied a gene called Atrx that was already linked to aggressive bowel cancer. They found that when this gene is missing, cancer cells are more likely to spread from the bowel to the liver, lymph nodes, and diaphragm.
Dr. Patrizia Cammareri, who led the research, explained: “Skin cells can tolerate much harsher day-to-day conditions than other types of cells – due to their role and position protecting the outside of the body – so this may be a strategy to help the bowel cancer cells become more robust and enable them to spread around the body.”
Bowel cancer starts in the large intestine (colon) or rectum. It’s the second deadliest cancer in the UK, killing about 16,800 people each year, with 1,700 of those deaths in Scotland. Scotland is particularly affected, with around 4,000 new cases diagnosed annually.
Similar Posts
What’s worrying health experts is the rising number of young people getting bowel cancer. A recent study in The Lancet Oncology found that bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are increasing in 27 out of 50 countries. In Scotland and England, the rates are climbing faster in young women than in young men.
When bowel cancer stays in one place, doctors can often treat it successfully. But once it spreads – what doctors call metastasis – it becomes much harder to treat. This is why stopping cancer cells from changing form could save lives.
The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, could lead to new treatments that prevent cancer cells from changing their identity. By blocking this shapeshifting ability, existing treatments might work better.
Dr. Catherine Elliott from Cancer Research UK said: “Diagnosing and treating cancer early and preventing spread to other parts of the body offers the best chance of a positive outcome for patients so research like this, which could lead to new ways to stop that spread, offers great hope.”
Cancer Research UK has invested £5.5 million in the CRC-STARS initiative to bring together over 40 bowel cancer experts, including researchers who worked on this project, to find better ways to fight the disease.
This breakthrough helps us understand why some bowel cancers are more dangerous than others. By learning how cancer cells disguise themselves, scientists can work on new ways to stop them from spreading and improve treatment success rates.
