Genes flipped on or off in developing mouse lungs have similar activity in human-lung cancers, say researchers. The finding hints at new ways to treat lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.
For more than a century, researchers have observed that the cells that make up many cancerous tumors look and behave much like immature cells in an animal fetus or a newborn. For example, tumor cells in lungs, brains, and blood typically have shapes, sizes, and quick-growth patterns similar to those of healthy cells in developing animals.
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