The results of a recent investigation published in the journal Nature on June 22, with the title: “The metastatic spread of breast cancer accelerates during sleep”, revealed, even to the surprise of the researchers themselves, that the metastatic spread of cancer through the dissemination of circulating tumor cells (CTC), through the bloodstream (hematogenous), which they assumed was carried out constantly, either as a product of the detachment of growing tumors, or eliminated by mechanical aggression, actually occurs mostly during the sleep period.
The surprising finding of the dynamics of CTC generation was observed both in breast cancer patients and in laboratory mouse models, showing that CTCs in the resting phase are highly prone to metastasize, while those generated during the active lack metastatic capacity.
“Circadian rhythms regulate changes in physical and mental characteristics that occur over the course of a day, and are largely controlled by the body’s biological clock, located in the region of the brain called the hypothalamus. Signals from the hypothalamus travel to different regions of the brain that respond to light, including the pineal gland. In response to light, such as sunlight, the pineal gland shuts down the production of melatonin, a hormone that causes feelings of sleepiness. Melatonin levels in the body typically rise after dark, causing drowsiness.” US National Institutes of Health
The discovery provides a strong new rationale for time-controlled interrogation and treatment of metastasis-prone cancers, potentially leading to the application of treatment protocols that address the influence of circadian rhythms on the dynamics of illness.
“Systemically, we found that key circadian rhythm hormones, such as melatonin, testosterone, and glucocorticoids, dictate the dynamics of CTC generation and, as a consequence, that insulin directly promotes tumor cell proliferation in vivo, but in a nonspecific manner. time dependent”. Nature.
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