The size of skin cancer cells may affect how they respond to treatment

Smaller melanoma skin cancer cells may be more vulnerable to drugs that inhibit DNA repair, while larger cells may be more responsive to immunotherapy

To Christa Leste-Laser

Certain skin cancer cells may respond differently to different treatments, depending on their size. A better understanding of this and how it relates to treatment outcomes may help physicians predict individual drug responses.

Cancer cells were commonly thought to be “a jumble of different sizes,” says Chris Bakal of the Cancer Institute in London.

To investigate this, Bakal and his colleagues used high-power imaging to see how genetic alterations affect the size of millions of melanoma cells caused by two mutations. I measured. Bluff Also NRAS gene. Melanoma, which begins in skin cells called melanocytes, is the most serious type of skin cancer.

They found that, on average, the smallest cells are about 17 micrometers (μm), while the largest are 50 μm.

Smaller cells contain higher levels of DNA-repairing proteins, suggesting that they can withstand more DNA damage. Therefore, these cells may be more vulnerable to agents that inhibit DNA repair, especially when combined with DNA-damaging chemotherapy, Bakal said.

Larger cells contained damage to DNA and were less dependent on DNA repair techniques. Researchers say this can make chemotherapy less effective.

Instead, larger cells will probably respond more to immunotherapy if they appear “more foreign” to the immune system, according to the team. help.

Based on previous studies on the protein’s role in cancer cells, the researchers suspect that these mutations primarily affect a protein called CCND1. It is involved in interactions with other proteins and in cell division, growth and maintenance of its shape, and may explain why some mutations are related to cell size. says he Bakal.

Researchers are investigating whether similar results apply to head and neck cancer.

Basing treatment strategies on melanoma cell size could help reduce the side effects some people experience while taking cancer drugs, Bakal said. “Rarely do we want to give our patients everything and attack them.”

The results may also enhance our understanding of cancer cells in general.

“I think the idea that they’re controlling their size so aggressively shows a different way of thinking about cancer,” says Bakal. “They still have some control over their shape and size. They have a ‘plan.'”