Stem Cells' Actual Links to Cancer
Related News: Stem Cells and CancerAccording to Johns Hopkins researchers, there is growing evidence that stem cells gone awry in their efforts to repair tissue damage could help explain why long-term irritation, like that from from alcohol or heartburn, can be a participating factor in the developments of certain types of cancers... read on
Outlined in the Nov. 18 issue of Nature, there are two key chemical signals, called Hedgehog and Wnt ("wint"), that are active in stem cells that repair damaged tissue. Recently and unexpectedly, these same signals also have been found in certain hard-to-treat cancers, supporting an a previously thought idea that some cancers may start from normal stem cells that have somehow gone bad.
Posted on November 30, 2004 10:10 AM