Breast cancer is becoming increasingly treatable, but in some cases the disease can resurface even decades after a patient has been declared cancer free. This is because of cells that detach from the original tumor and hide in a dormant state in the breast or other organs. Little is known about the mechanisms responsible for dormancy in cancer cells, and even less is known about what causes these cells to suddenly wake up. A new study from the laboratory of Israel Prize laureate Prof. Yosef Yarden at the Weizmann Institute of Science, being published today in Science Signaling, reveals the mechanism that puts breast cancer cells to sleep, as well as the reason that they emerge from dormancy more aggressive than they were before they became dormant

Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute, UCL, Gustave Roussy and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), have discovered that expansion of mutant blood cells, a phenomenon linked to ageing, can be found in cancerous tumours, and this is associated with worse outcomes for patients.

This is the finding of a study that followed 352 pairs of newborns and their mothers in the cities of Guarulhos and São Paulo (Brazil). Changes observed in the first two months of life may increase future risk of obesity and diabetes.