Molecules in the blood of older people promote cancer spread

Wang, Hai; Zhang, Xiang H.-F.

doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02381-7

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19 August 2020

Molecules in the blood of older people promote cancer spread

A molecule produced by the metabolism of proteins and fats has been found to accumulate in the blood of older people, and to endow cancer cells with the ability to spread from one site in the body to others.

Hai Wang⁰ &
Xiang H.-F. Zhang¹

Hai Wang
1. Hai Wang is in the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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Xiang H.-F. Zhang
1. Xiang H.-F. Zhang is in the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the McNair Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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As we get older, the risk that we will develop cancer increases, because we accumulate genetic mutations and are continually exposed to cancer-causing substances¹. Most cancer-causing agents are found in the environment, but some are produced by our own bodies. Writing in Nature, Gomes et al.² report that methylmalonic acid (MMA) — a by-product of protein and fat digestion — can accumulate in the blood with age, and might promote the spread of tumours.

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Nature 585, 187-188 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02381-7

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