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Cancer

Metastasis with a little help from MDSCs

Nature Medicine volume 17, page 1357 (2011)Cite this article

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Metastatic dissemination can occur early in tumor progression and involves both phenotypic changes in the primary tumor cells as well as modifications in their environment and in the prospective tumor niches. Recent research postulates that immune cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are subverted in cancer and contribute to metastasis by acclimatizing distant organs for tumor colonization.

A new report (PLoS Biol. 9, e1001162) proposes that MDSCs also have a role earlier in metastasis. Using a mouse model of uveal melanoma that features the characteristic early dissemination properties of this tumor, Toh et al. found that MDSCs are recruited by primary tumors and contribute to their growth. In addition, MDSC infiltrates induce phenotypic changes in the tumor cells encouraging a more invasive profile, thus fostering local invasion and dissemination.

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  1. Victoria Aranda
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Aranda, V. Metastasis with a little help from MDSCs. Nat Med 17, 1357 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2564

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