New Delhi:Cancer cells could be "reprogramming" immune cells to produce a molecule that promotes tumour growth, a new study has found, postulating that presence of the molecule may be an indicator of cancer progression.

Studies have shown that cancer cells can 'trick' the immune system into believing they are healthy and prevent themselves from getting destroyed.

Researchers, including those at the University of Geneva and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Switzerland, have discovered that a type of immune cells -- neutrophils -- undergo "reprogramming" upon encountering a tumour condition, contributing to cancer progression.

The study, published in the Cancer Cell journal, describes a mechanism which researchers said appears to be a major variable in tumour biology and could serve as an indicator of disease progression.

One of the difficulties is identifying the elements that truly influence the tumour's ability to grow, lead researcher Mikaël Pittet, a faculty in the department of pathology and immunology at the University of Geneva, said.

The research team had previously showed that expression of two genes in macrophages -- a type of immune cells -- is strongly linked to disease progression, constituting a simple but informative variable for understanding tumours and anticipating their trajectory, Pittet said.

Source:Ndtv