From Nature:
Since the 1800s, cancer surgeons have known that tumours can spread along the nerves. Today, the burgeoning field of cancer neuroscience is starting to reveal the true impact of the disease’s interaction with the nervous system. The phenomenon, known as perineural invasion, is common in certain types of cancer. “When treating patients with head and neck cancers, I see invasion into nerves in about half of cases,” says Moran Amit, professor of head and neck surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “It’s an ominous feature. It puts patients in a higher risk category and requires us to escalate treatment.”
In a 2020 study, Amit and colleagues showed how a tumour can modify nearby nerves and change their behaviour1. To further explore the impact of perineural invasion on treatment, they have now examined nerves in tumour samples taken from skin cancer patients participating in an immunotherapy trial.
More here.
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