Even though cancer is generally seen as an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, several studies have shown that regular cells around a tumour also play a role in its growth. In North America, one in nine women (12%) will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. … And though we often think of a cancerous tumour as an isolated mass that has no interaction with the rest of the body, this perception is false. A tumour actually has a large number of normal, non-cancerous cells, especially those known as fibroblasts. Under normal conditions, this tissue, called stroma, has anticancer properties that impede the development of tumours. But an in-depth study done by researchers at McGill University recently showed that the job of these normal cells changes considerably as breast cancer develops.
(Article en anglais seulement)
Even though cancer is generally seen as an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, several studies have shown that regular cells around a tumour also play a role in its growth. In North America, one in nine women (12%) will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. … And though we often think of a cancerous tumour as an isolated mass that has no interaction with the rest of the body, this perception is false. A tumour actually has a large number of normal, non-cancerous cells, especially those known as fibroblasts. Under normal conditions, this tissue, called stroma, has anticancer properties that impede the development of tumours. But an in-depth study done by researchers at McGill University recently showed that the job of these normal cells changes considerably as breast cancer develops.
Edmonton Sun