Cancer cells are quick-change artists adapting to their environment

(Luxembourg Institute of Health) Until now, researchers have assumed that the growth of solid tumors originates from cancer stem cells characterized by specific surface markers, which develop in a fixed, hierarchical order. In a joint interdisciplinary project led by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), researchers now show that cancer cells of glioblastomas -- conspicuously aggressive solid brain tumors -- manifest developmental plasticity and their phenotypic characteristics are less constrained than believed.
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news