The Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) in Bellinzona is contributing to significant advancements in cancer research. According to a press release, the Molecular Oncology research group led by Professor Andrea Alimonti, working closely with a London-based team under Professor Johann de Bono at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), has “finally” obtained the first clinical evidence that myeloid inflammation can fuel the progression of metastatic prostate cancer and therefore shorten life expectancy.
The myeloid cell line is a diverse group of blood cells that help protect the body against foreign materials and infectious agents. An accumulation of these immune cells impairs the immune response to a tumor and may promote tumor growth. Thanks to a specific receptor, CXCR2, these immunosuppressive myeloid cells are attracted into the tumors, where they release nourishing factors.
This translational study is the first to show the causal link between accumulation of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and the onset of resistance to both chemotherapy and androgen-deprivation therapy. “More importantly, it showed that the CXCR2 antagonists represent a concrete therapeutic tool to improve the clinical outcome of metastatic prostate cancer patients,” says the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in its press release. The IOR is attached to the USI and a member of the Bellinzona Institutes of Science.
