Wound-healing cells of the immune system linked to skin cancer
'Our studies suggest that controlling damage induced inflammation after cancer surgery might improve the outcome of patients'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Skin cancer could be made worse following surgery to remove tumours by the inflammation that occurs, new research suggests.
A study of zebrafish showed that cells of the immune system which are important for wound healing, can drive the progression of skin cancer.
Researchers have suggested that therapies to dampen inflammation following surgery could help to improve patient outcomes, as surgery remains the preferred treatment for skin cancer.
Dr Yi Feng, Chancellor’s Fellow, MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, said: "Our studies suggest that controlling damage induced inflammation after cancer surgery might improve the outcome of patients."
The team used live imaging techniques to watch how cells of the immune system are recruited to heal a wound in zebrafish.
They tagged the cells for tracking in the transparent fish with fluorescence, and saw with high powered microscopes how the neutrophils are quickly diverted from the wound towards nearby cells which are on the cusp of becoming cancerous.
The team also detected high levels of neutrophils in human tissue samples of skin cancers from people whose tumours had open ulcers.
The presence of neutrophils was linked to poor survival of these patients, suggesting that inflammation may also play a part in human skin cancer progression.
Dr Yi Feng said: "An important next step will be to better understand how these immune cells are interacting with cancer cells.
"This will help us to devise therapies to reduce the risk of cancer cells that are left behind after surgery from forming new tumours and spreading."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments