A new study conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the School of
Aging may play a role indevelopment of cancer metastases, says senior study author Ashani Veeraratna. The study found that when melanoma cells were injected into the skin of young and elderly mice, they initially traveled to the lungs at the same rate, but in the lungs of older mice they grew rapidly and formed larger tumors, while in the lungs of young mice they tended to , remained in the form of small unicellular or two-celled colonies.
The researchers found that agechanges in secreted factors from lung fibroblasts, normal non-cancerous cells near the tumor, make it easier for dormant melanoma cells to grow. Age-related changes in the skin microenvironment suppressed the growth of melanoma cells but facilitated their spread, spreading the cancer to distant organs.
News stories cannot be equated with a doctor's prescription. Before making a decision, consult a specialist.