Cancer tumors turn immune cells from fighters into feeders: study

Israeli researchers have discovered how cancer tumors recruit the body's immune cells to help them grow, paving the way for new cancer treatments, Tel Aviv University said in a statement on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

The study, published in Science Immunology, showed how a normal immune process can be turned against the body inside a tumor.

The researchers found that macrophages, immune cells that usually remove dead and damaged cells, can be reprogrammed after consuming dead cancer cells, switching from fighting tumors to fueling their growth.

Using a real-time tracking technology, the researchers found the altered immune cells switched on genes that feed tumors by supplying them with oxygen and nutrients.

The team also analyzed data from patients with uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer. Patients whose tumors contained more of these reprogrammed immune cells were more likely to have poorer survival.

The researchers concluded that the findings could lead to new treatments that stop immune cells from helping tumors, effectively restoring their cancer-fighting role.