Cancer Cells Interwoven With Blood Vessels and Matrix Fibers

"A pancreatic tumour consists of not just one type of cell - cancer cells (green) are interwoven with blood vessels (red) and matrix fibers (purple). An international team of researchers has revealed how aggressive pancreatic cancer cells change their environment to enable easy passage to other parts of the body (or metastasis) - the main cause of pancreatic cancer related death.

The researchers discovered that some pancreatic tumours produce more of a molecule called 'perlecan' to remodel the environment around them, which helps cancer cells spread more easily to other parts of the body, and also protects them against chemotherapy. In a mouse model, the researchers showed that lowering the levels of perlecan revealed a reduction in the spread of pancreatic cancer and improved response to chemotherapy."