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Breaking Away
27 August 2016

Breaking Away

Cancer starts when a cell in the body goes rogue, multiplying out of control and forming a tumour. As long as the cancer cells stay in one place in the body, it’s relatively simple to cure the disease through surgery. The real problems start when cancer cells break away from the original tumour. They hitch a ride to other parts of the body through the blood vessels, emerging to form secondary tumours in organs such as the liver, lungs and brain, as shown in this computer-generated illustration. Sticky molecules on the surface of cancer cells, known as integrins, are essential for enabling cancers to spread, sending signals between and inside cells. By figuring out how integrins work as cancer cells float through the bloodstream and emerge to settle in a new location, scientists are hoping to discover ways to stop cancer spreading or slow it down, before it’s too late.

Written by Kat Arney

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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