Collagen plays a key role in breast cancer metastasis

A new study from the Garvan Institute for Medical Research shows that type XII collagen plays a key role in regulating the organization of tumor stroma

The tumor microenvironment is the ecosystem surrounding the tumor, one of which is the extracellular matrix

"There is still a lot we don't know about the role of the extracellular matrix in cancer metastasis

The study also suggests that measuring collagen levels in patient tumor biopsies could potentially be used as an additional screening tool to identify aggressive breast cancers with higher rates of metastasis, such as triple-negative breast cancer

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications

Collagen XII changes the tumor environment to help cancer cells invade

The extracellular matrix is ​​a 3D network of 300-400 core molecules, including several collagens

The team focused their research on collagen XII, one of the 28 types of collagen in the body

The researchers studied tumors in mouse models ranging from early preclinical stages of cancer all the way to advanced tumors

The team then used genetic engineering to control collagen XII production and observe the effects of transfer to other organs

Further research will focus on studying additional human samples and investigating possible therapeutic avenues

Temporal profiling of the breast tumor microenvironment reveals collagen XII as a driver of metastasis