Cancer metastasis is when cancer spreads from one part of the body to another.
This process is one of the most dangerous parts of cancer, but scientists still don’t fully understand how or why cancer spreads to certain areas.
Now, new research from Shinshu University School of Medicine in Japan may have found a major clue.
Led by Professor Sachie Hiratsuka, the study focused on a protein called fibrinogen, which helps with blood clotting. The researchers discovered that a specific chemical change to this protein—called citrullination—may play a big role in allowing cancer to spread, especially to the lungs.
Citrullination is a process that changes an amino acid in the protein from arginine to citrulline. When this happens to fibrinogen, it changes the protein’s shape, surface charge, and how it interacts with other molecules.
This modified protein then acts like a magnet, attracting cancer cells and creating a “metastatic niche”—an environment that helps tumors grow in the lungs.
In earlier research, the team had noticed that fibrinogen tends to collect in the blood vessels of the lungs, making them more likely places for cancer to spread. The new study reveals that Serum Amyloid A proteins (SAAs) help drive the citrullination of fibrinogen.
In experiments using mice with human SAA genes, these mice had more severe lung cancer spread compared to mice without the SAA genes. This confirmed that SAAs were triggering the citrullination process and encouraging lung metastasis.
To fight this, the researchers developed a new treatment approach: a small peptide called CitFbg. This peptide acts as a blocker. It competes with the altered fibrinogen, preventing cancer cells from attaching to it. In tests on mice, this approach successfully reduced the spread of cancer to the lungs.
What does this mean for the future? This discovery could help doctors predict where cancer is likely to spread, especially in the lungs. It may also lead to new treatments that stop cancer before it spreads. Professor Hiratsuka said their antibody for CitFbg could even help doctors see potential problem areas in the lungs before metastasis happens.
Although these results still need to be tested in humans, the research is a big step forward in understanding how cancer spreads. It offers new hope for preventing and treating the most dangerous part of cancer.
If you’re interested in cancer research, other studies have found that common drugs used for inflammation or cholesterol may also help kill cancer cells. Healthy lifestyle choices and certain fruits might even slow cancer growth.
This study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
If you care about lung health, please read studies about Many smokers have undetected lung diseases and Why vitamin K is very important for you lung health.
For more health information, please read studies about New diabetes drugs can benefit your kidney and lung health and Many smokers have unrecognized lung problems
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