What does aggressive cancer mean

Now, they are reporting new findings from another research track that they have been pursuing for several years, concerning the similarities between stressed cells and fat cells. They then become inaccessible to radiation and chemotherapy, but can still accumulate fat droplets. The fat serves as fuel for them, when they later leave their resting phase to grow and spread," explains Mattias Belting. That cells of a cancerous tumour experience a shift between "good and bad times" has been known for some time.

From a cancer cell's point of view, "good times" is when the cancer can spread and cause a relapse. We believe that it is the cancer cells that are similar to fat cells that are most capable of forming metastases. They can either use fat deposits for energy, to build their cell membranes, or to manufacture signal substances -- or do all of this at the same time," says doctoral student Julien Menard, who is the lead author of the research article, which the group has now published in Cancer Research.

This new knowledge can be used to fight the spread of cancer cells, which is the cause of most cancer-related deaths. Once we know more about how the stressed cells accumulate fat reserves, we can prevent them from acquiring this additional energy. There might already be a drug with this effect on the market. Heparin, a known anti-thrombotic drug, does not only have the capacity to dissolve blood clots, but also to reduce cancer cells' uptake of fat particles.

Therefore, several clinical studies investigating the effect of heparin against cancer are already underway. If the treatment works, it may be partly because the stressed cells are prevented from building up fat reserves," according to the Lund researchers. The article published in Cancer Research includes pictures from patient samples that show that cancer cells similar to fat cells are located precisely in those parts of a tumour where there is oxygen deficiency, i.

The connection between fat and cancer is also consistent with the well-known fact that obesity involves an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer. Obese persons have more fat particles in their blood, which could become accessible to the stressed cancer cells. It is also known that tumours in obese patients can be more aggressive. Materials provided by Lund University. Page last reviewed: 24 September Next review due: 24 September Home Common health questions Operations, tests and procedures Back to Operations, tests and procedures.

What do cancer stages and grades mean? Cancer stages Different types of staging systems are used for different types of cancer. The grading system that's usually used is as follows: grade I — cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren't growing rapidly grade II — cancer cells that don't look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells grade III — cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively Cancer Research UK has more information about the stages of cancer and the grading of different types of cancer.

There are more than types of cancer named for the tissues or organs where they originate. All have the ability to spread, but some are more aggressive than others. The spread of cancer from where it started to another place is called metastasis. No matter where else in the body it spreads, a cancer is still named for the place it originated. For instance, prostate cancer that has spread to the liver is still prostate cancer, not liver cancer, and treatment will reflect that.

Cancer can spread through:. Cancer cells that have more genetic damage poorly differentiated usually grow faster than cancer cells with less genetic damage well differentiated. Based on how abnormal they appear under a microscope, tumors are graded as follows:.

Some may never require treatment. Many of these cancers can be effectively treated. Cancers are staged according to tumor size and how far it has spread at the time of diagnosis. Stages help doctors decide which treatments are most likely to work and give a general outlook.

There are different types of staging systems and some are specific to certain types of cancer. The following are the basic stages of cancer:. Your pathology report may use the TNM staging system, which provides more detailed information as follows:. Benign tumors are noncancerous. Benign tumors can cause a few problems if they:. Cancerous tumors are called malignant. Cancer cells form when DNA abnormalities cause a gene to behave differently than it should. They can grow into nearby tissue, spread through the bloodstream or lymph system, and spread through the body.

Malignant tumors tend to grow faster than benign tumors. Treatment depends on the specific type of cancer as well as the stage.

In many cases, treatment will consist of more than one therapy. Depending on the type of cancer you have, surgery may be the first-line treatment. When surgery is used to remove a tumor, the surgeon also removes a small margin of tissue around the tumor to lower the chances of leaving cancer cells behind.

Surgery can also help stage the cancer. For example, checking the lymph nodes near the primary tumor can determine if cancer has spread locally. You may also need chemotherapy or radiation therapy following surgery. This may be an added precaution in case any cancer cells were left behind or have reached the blood or lymph system.