Functional Synapses Between Neurons and Small Cell Lung Cancer

How small cell lung cancer hijacks neuronal synapses

An international research team has shown that lung cancer cells can form functional synapses with neurons, effectively hijacking the body's neural circuits to grow faster. The finding reveals a startling new dimension of cancer biology and opens promising new avenues for therapies against this disease. The study titled "Functional synapses between neurons and small-cell lung cancer" is published in Nature.

Functional synapses between neurons and small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive type of lung cancer, characterized by rapid proliferation, early metastatic spread, frequent early relapse and a high mortality rate1–3. Recent evidence has suggested that innervation has an important role in the development and progression of several types of cancer4,5. Cancer-to-neuron synapses have been reported in gliomas6,7, but whether peripheral tumours can form such structures is unkno…

Brain Lung Cancer Cells Create Electrical Links with Neurons, Driving Tumor

A groundbreaking study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine has uncovered a startling mechanism by which small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells, once metastasized to the brain, establish direct and functional synaptic connections with neurons. These electrical synapses are not mere physical proximities; they represent active electrophysiological interfaces that significantly stimulate tumor growth. This unprecedented […]