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Love Your Liver month Inflaming Cancer
15 January 2018

Inflaming Cancer

Inflammation is a normal physiological process; however, in some cancers such as liver cancer, it’s known that chronic inflammation can contribute to tumour growth. Researchers have now found that chronic inflammation in the liver can also override the body’s natural defence system and suppress immunosurveillance – a process where cancerous cells are identified and destroyed. In a mouse model, researchers saw that mutations associated with liver cancer (round cancer cell pictured in the centre) initiate an immune response, but on the other hand, chronic inflammation in the liver also led to a build-up of another type of immune cells called lymphocytes, which suppress the immune system using a molecule called PD-L1. PD-L1 obstructs cytotoxic T cells (pictured on the left-hand side), in turn allowing tumours to grow. When PD-L1 was hindered, cytotoxic T cells were able to attack tumours once again, providing a new therapeutic avenue.

January is Love Your Liver month

Written by Katie Panteli

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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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