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Another path for research.

Forums Cutaneous Melanoma Community Another path for research.

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    JerryfromFauq
    Participant

    Scientists have found 'breadcrumb trail' molecule that causes melanoma to spread

    Apparently there’s a fatty molecule that irresistibly lures skin cancer cells around the body.

    http://home.bt.com/news/sciencenews/scientists-have-found-breadcrumb-trail-molecule-that-causes-melanoma-to-spread-11363937493101

    Scientific research has identified a type of fatty molecule that can make cancerous melanoma cells unusually aggressive and mobile, allowing it to spread round the body

    The researchers have been looking at a fatty molecule known as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA).

    Tests on lab cells and mice revealed how melanoma cells start their journey round the body by breaking down a nearby source of LPA.

    Once they have depleted their original supply of the molecule, the skin cancer cells move out of their tumour in a bid to find more. They then move from molecule to molecule as if following a breadcrumb trail around the body.

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