The Role of Collagen in Keeping Cancer Cells Dormant: A New Frontier in Cancer Treatment

More Human Studies Needed

In their mice trials, they showed that they were able to force cancer cells into a dormant state about 80% of the time. This is exciting news, especially if they can replicate that success (or more!) in humans. That’s just the ticket, however – there is no guarantee that what worked in the mice will work in humans, at least in the same way. Humans are more complex animals and therefore so are their cancers.

“As the biology of tumor dormancy gets uncovered and new specific drugs are developed, a combination of dormancy-inducing treatments with therapies that specifically target dormant cells will ultimately prevent local recurrence and metastasis and pave the way to cancer remission,” said Bravo-Cordero. (3)

There is still a long way to go in terms of these treatments before we see them used as regular cancer treatments. That being said, their implications could be extensive and they are certainly exciting for anyone who has had, currently has, or knows someone with cancer.

“Our findings have potential clinical implications and may lead to a novel biomarker to predict tumor recurrences, as well as a therapeutic intervention to reduce local and distant relapses,” said Bravo-Cordero. “This intervention aimed at preventing the awakening of dormant cells has been suggested as a therapeutic strategy to prevent metastatic outgrowth. As the biology of tumor dormancy gets uncovered and new specific drugs are developed, a combination of dormancy-inducing treatments with therapies that specifically target dormant cells will ultimately prevent local recurrence and metastasis and pave the way to cancer remission.” (4)

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