Provided by MgGill University

Artist rendition of a growing stomach polyp from a Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome patient. The red cells represent pro-inflammatory T cells that promote polyp development. Credit: Ella Maru Studio. Photo credit MedicalXpress

The immune system can be an important ally in the fight against cancer. A study from McGill scientists published today in Science suggests that the reverse may also be true—that abnormal inflammation triggered by the immune system may underlie the development of stomach tumours in patients with a hereditary cancer syndrome known as Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS). The findings are likely to prompt a re-thinking of how gastric tumours form in patients with this syndrome and in others with gastrointestinal cancers. They should also open the door to potential new treatments based on targeting inflammation rather than tumour cells. Read more.

Published July 26, 2018 by MedicalXpress