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Cancer cells have ‘unsettling’ ability to hijack the brain’s nerves

Startling discovery could open up avenues for treating some aggressive tumours.
  1. Heidi Ledford
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Tumour cells can plug into — and feed off — the brain’s complex network of neurons, according to a trio of studies. This nefarious ability could explain the mysterious behaviour of certain tumours, and point to new ways of treating cancer.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02792-1

See the related News & Views article, ‘Dangerous liaisons as tumour cells form synapses with neurons’.

References

  1. Venkataramani, V. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1564-x (2019).

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  2. Venkatesh, H. S. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1563-y (2019).

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  3. Zeng, Q. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1576-6 (2019).

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