Healthy cells next to tumors can support cancer growth like stem cells, a new study shows.
The discovery was led by professor Levi Waldron of the American institute of medicine. The researchers used a new technique to study the tissues around tumors, known as tumor microenvironments, which are closely related to the growth and spread of cancer.
"Our new technology allows us to analyze cell changes in the tumor microenvironment with great precision," Waldron said. We found that healthy cells in the tumor microenvironment returned to a stem cell state to support cancer growth." "Healthy cells are getting stem cell-like features by getting relevant proteins from neighboring cancer cells," explains Waldron.

The researchers hope the technique will be used by other scientists to better understand local changes caused by cancer, which could lead to newer treatments for the disease. This is not limited to cancer, though, as similar methods allow scientists to study the interactions between different cell types in the body.