Summary
Lung cancer cells can revert to an earlier developmental form, driving aggression and treatment resistance, offering new clues for personalized therapy.
Scientists have found a surprising reason why some lung cancers are so hard to treat. The cancer cells can actually change back into an earlier form, kind of like reversing time.
Here’s how it works. When lungs grow inside a baby, they form by branching, similar to how tree branches split into smaller and smaller pieces. Once the branches are done growing, the lungs switch to a different process to build millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli. These air sacs are where oxygen enters the blood.
Researchers at the University of Southampton discovered that some aggressive lung cancers do something strange. The cancer cells switch back from the air-sac-building process to the branching process. This “reverse switch” seems to make the cancer grow faster, become more aggressive, and resist treatment.
To make this discovery, scientists studied information from more than 1,500 patients. They combined many types of data, from single cells to whole tumor samples, to get a full picture of how the cancer changes over time.
The team also found two things driving this switch. First, the cancer cells lose a special gene called TP53, which normally helps protect the body from cancer. Second, a system called interferon signaling turns on. This system usually fights viruses, but here it seems to help push the cancer cells backward into their branching form.
Dr. Chris Hanley, who led the study, said this discovery could help doctors in a big way. By checking a patient’s genes related to branching, doctors might predict how well that person will respond to treatment. This means care could become more personalized.
The discovery also opens the door to new treatments. Scientists could look for ways to stop cancer cells from switching identity in the first place, which could help patients who don’t respond well to current treatments like chemotherapy.
