The research team suspects that“ those specialized [ T‐reg ] cells— once they’ re educated by the tumor— leave the lymph node, go all over the body, and instruct the immune system not to attack” other cancer cells, he explained.
If that’ s the case, it would make distant organs more hospitable to the cancer, he said.
“ Thus, we propose a new model of metastasis we call‘ Metastatic Tolerance,’” tweeted the study’ s lead scientist Exit Disclaimer, Nathan Reticker‐ Flynn, Ph. D., of Stanford University.
“ There’ s missing pieces about how exactly the T‐regulatory cells get sent around the body,” Dr. Dueck noted. But the idea is that“ there might be tolerance from the immune system by the time the [ cancer ] cells get to distant organs.”
Dr. Engleman and his team think it may be possible to develop therapies that switch off this tolerance. If used at the right time, such therapies could prevent cancer metastasis.
The findings could also prompt new research on cancer immunotherapies, Dr. Dueck noted.“ In some cases, resistance to immunotherapy may involve some sort of effect in the lymph nodes. So, [ the study findings ] could also provide clues about ways to address resistance to immunotherapy,” she said.
Source: https:// www. cancer. gov / newsevents / cancer‐currents‐blog / 2022 / cancerlymph‐nodes‐metastasis
With this new view of metastasis, the two prevailing theories on lymph nodes can be reconciled, Dr. Dueck explained. By spreading to lymph nodes and turning immune tolerance on, it’ s easier for cancer cells in the primary tumor or in the lymph nodes to metastasize to distant organs.