Researchers have found that sugar helps cancer cells spread throughout the body. It turns out that tumor cells that survive chemotherapy release fructose, which helps neighboring cells detach and metastasize, reports infohub.kz.
Scientists at the Wistar Institute in the United States published a new discovery about ovarian cancer in the journal "Nature Aging." They found that tumor cells that survive chemotherapy stop dividing but do not die. Instead, they begin to release fructose, which serves as a chemical signal to neighboring cells.
The study's authors, Aidan Cole and Kathryn Aird, determined that fructose lowers cholesterol levels in surrounding tissues. Normally, cholesterol acts as a binding substance between cells. When its levels drop, intercellular connections weaken, making it easier for cancer cells to detach and migrate throughout the body. Experiments showed that even excess sugar in a normal diet produces a similar effect.
Statins, drugs that lower cholesterol, have a similar effect. The scientists emphasize that patients should not stop taking their medications on their own. Currently, the researchers are testing whether this mechanism works in colorectal and liver cancer.