Researchers at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University have observed rudimentary — but functional — gastrointestinal organs inside a human lung cancer tumor, STAT reports.
Here are five things to know.
1. The researchers found stomachs, small intestines and duodenums growing inside cancerous lungs.
"During development, the lung and the esophagus all come from the same endodermal progenitor cells," Purushothama Rao Tata, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology at Duke and lead author of the Developmental Cell study told STAT. "What we think is that these cancer cells in the lung slide into the nearest developmental neighborhood."
2. Many human lung cancer cells lack a developmental gene called NKX2-1, which directs stem cells to morph into lung cells. Dr. Tata found that many lung cancer cells expressed genes associated with gastrointestinal organs.
3. According to Dr. Tata, this mechanism likely contributes to drug resistance, as lung cancer cells will adopt the characteristics of gut cells to evade treatment.
4. The researchers knocked out the NKX2-1 gene in the lung tissue of mice and found that typically GI-specific tissues began to grow in the lungs, even secreting digestive enzymes.
5. The researchers now plan to test new drug combinations in miniaturized tumor models.
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