Researchers in Belgium have been able to reduce the spread of cancer from other organs to the lungs, in studies using mice. 

When a cancer develops metastases, which means that the cancer has spread from its original organ to others, the therapeutic approaches are very limited. The lungs are amongst the most common organs where metastases occurs.  

Researchers at the VIB–KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, an EARA Member, found that cancer cells force a type of healthy lung cells, alveolar type II cells, to produce lipids — highly energetic fat molecules which were thought to serve only as a source of energy — and use them to adapt their own proteins and adapt cancer growth to the lungs. By genetically engineering key genes in mice to block the production of lipids in these cells, the team could decrease metastasis in lungs. 

Current clinical trials are testing drugs that affect the production of lipids in humans. “Our findings suggest that these inhibitors may best work in patients whose metastasis recruit large amounts of AT2 cells. This insight helps refine the group of patients who may benefit most from these therapies,” explains Sarah-Maria Fendt, from VIB-KU and leader of the studies published in Nature Cell Biology and Cancer Discovery.