Posted on 02/23/2023 9:03:39 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Researchers led by Prof. Neta Erez identified and characterized a new mechanism that facilitates the formation of brain metastases and found that impairing this mechanism significantly reduced the development of brain metastases in mice.
Brain metastases are one of the deadliest forms of cancer metastasis.
The researchers show that Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is a key factor in inducing neuroinflammation in the brain. Moreover, the researchers found that high LCN2 levels in patients' blood and brain metastases from several types of cancer are associated with disease progression and reduced survival.
LCN2 is a secreted protein that functions in the innate immune system and was originally discovered due to its ability to bind iron molecules and as part of the inflammatory process in fighting bacterial infection. LCN2 is produced by a large variety of cells and was shown to be involved in multiple cancer-related processes.
"We analyzed the LCN2 protein levels in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of mice with brain metastases, and found that LCN2 levels increased greatly in mice with melanoma and breast cancer metastases compared to healthy mice. Importantly—an increase in blood LCN2 preceded the detection of brain metastases by MRI. Furthermore, the mice in which LCN2 levels were very high developed brain metastases later, further establishing LCN2 as a predictive marker for brain metastases."
The researchers also examined whether LCN2 is elevated in the blood of melanoma patients at the time of initial diagnosis, and whether it can be a prognostic factor. The findings indicated that patients with melanoma had significantly higher levels of LCN2 in their blood compared to samples from healthy individuals. Strikingly, patients who developed brain metastases displayed significantly higher levels of LCN2 even before the diagnosis of the metastases, and high levels of LCN2 in the blood correlated with worse survival.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
The way the article reads later on, it’s hard to tell if it’s an effect or might actually be a cause of metastasis.
I believe LCN2 is higher in cardio patients, so I think this is just an inflammatory marker.
Keep
WARNING: Some may not want to read this post and if anyone feels that it needs to be pulled then have at it.
The doctors I dealt with didn’t warn the Horror of witnessing it happen to both My 2nd Wife and Best Friend. I don’t know if the two different doctors were to chickenshit to do it or what.
I lost My 2nd Wife to Breast Cancer that got Her brain. It’s a incredibly difficult and painful experience to watch anyone suffer through this. Like RIP YOUR GUTS AND SOUL RIGHT OUT OF YOUR LOVED ONE AND YOURSELF !!!
The brain swelling forces your brain into the spinal cord slowly until you are suddenly are DEAD.
I also had the same happen to one of My Best Friend about a year before My Wife went through it. At the time She had not been diagnosed with cancer.
I PRAY FOR ANYONE THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH THAT AND THAT IT HAPPENS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE FOR ALL INVOLVED...
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