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鈥淲e are the first to identify this entirely new way that cancer spreads,鈥� says senior author Dr. Lorenzo Ferri, MUHC director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and the Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Program. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 equally exciting is medications already exist that are being used for other non-cancer diseases, which may prevent this mechanism of cancer spread or metastasis.鈥� According to Dr. Ferri, the next steps are to validate if these medicines will work for the prevention and treatment of cancer metastasis, and then to determine the optimal timing and dosing.

Linking infection, inflammation and metastasis
鈥淥ur first clue of this association was from our previous research, which showed that severe infection in cancer patients after surgery results in a higher chance that patients will have the cancer return in the form of cancer metastasis,鈥� says Dr. Ferri who is also an Associate Member of the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at UU直播. 鈥淭his led us to investigate the cellular players in the infection, notably neutrophils, the first and most numerous of the white blood cells that are used by the immune system fight off infections.鈥�

Dr. Ferri and his colleagues from UU直播 and the University of Calgary used both cultured cells and mouse models of cancer to show that there is a relationship between infection, a white blood cell response (inflammation) and metastasis. A web-like network called Neutrophils Extracellular Traps (NETs), is produced by white blood cells (neutrophils) in response to an infection and this normally traps and kills invading pathogens, such as bacteria.

鈥淲e demonstrated that in the case of infected animals with cancer, the neutrophil web (NETs) also trapped circulating cancer cells,鈥� adds Dr. Jonathan Cools-Lartigue, first author of the study, and a PhD student from the LD MacLean Surgical Research Laboratories at UU直播. 鈥淚nstead of killing the cancer cells, these webs activated the cancer cells and made them more likely to develop secondary tumours, or metastasis.鈥�

No web equals better outcome
The researchers went one step further and showed that breaking down the neutrophil web is achievable by using certain medication. Furthermore, in mice with cancer, markedly less tumour growth and metastasis occurred after the medication was administered. This finding was true for a number of different cancer types, suggesting that neutrophil webs may be a common pathway involved in the spreading of many cancers.

鈥淥ur study reflects a major change in how we think about cancer progression,鈥� says Dr. Ferri. 鈥淎nd, more importantly, how we can treat it.鈥�


About the study:

This work was supported by a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.

The study, Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) sequester circulating tumor cells and promote the development of metastasis was authored by Jonathan Cools-Lartigue (First author), Jonathan Spicer, Stephen Gowing, Simon Chow, Betty Giannias, France Bourdeau, (LD MacLean Surgical Research Laboratories, Department of Surgery, UU直播, Montreal); Lorenzo Ferri (LD MacLean Surgical Research Laboratories, UU直播 and RI-MUHC); Braedon McDonald and Paul Kubes (Calvin, Phoebe, and Joan Snyder Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary).

Please find below the link to the study (embargoed until July 1, 2013 at noon, ET):


Once the embargo is lifted, you will find the press release, scientific article, photos and a video at:

Related links:

• The Journal of Clinical Investigation:
• UU直播 Health Centre (MUHC):
• Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC):
• UU直播: /
• The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre:
• UU直播 Department of Oncology聽