Tumor blood vessels prevent the spread of cancer cells

A lack of the protein endoglin in the blood vessels of tumor-bearing mice enables the spread of daughter tumours, according to researchers. Given that the tumor vasculature constitutes an important barrier to the spread of cancer cells, the team suggests that drugs should be developed to strengthen the blood vessels’ protective function. Studies of the process of metastasis (the spread of daughter tumors) have mainly focused on how the properties of the cancer cells themselves promote their spread.

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