Neutrophils Help Circulating Tumor Cells Metastasize

Abstract

Researchers have found that neutrophils can travel with circulating tumor cells (CTC) and promote metastasis. In patients with breast cancer and in mouse models, the presence of CTC-neutrophil clusters correlates with shorter progression-free survival, the study revealed. Neutrophils may promote metastasis by releasing cytokines that promote cell-cycle progression, thus spurring the tumor cells to divide.