Using single-nucleus sequencing technologies, researchers analyzed IDH-mutant glioma tumor samples collected at different time points from 35 patients. The approach captured how the cancer cells shift as the disease progressed or recurred after treatment. Some cells became more stem-like and proliferative, while others adopted stress-response programs. Many lost the hallmarks of normal brain cell differentiation.
The tumors also changed in response to their surroundings, for example, shifting into a tougher, more aggressive mode even when no new DNA changes were detected. The shift went hand in hand with changes in nearby immune cells. “It’s a reminder that cancer does not evolve in isolation,” says UM’s Anna Lasorella “Tumor cells are constantly responding to signals from the surrounding tissue and immune system, especially after treatment.”
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