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Dormant breast cancer metastases can “reawaken” and progress suddenly. Inflammation at the sites where cancer cells metastasize is one well-known cause of cancer growth, and breast cancer often metastasizes to the lungs. So, are respiratory infections, which cause pulmonary inflammation, associated with breast cancer metastases?
An international team reports that, in mice, infection with either influenza virus or SARS-CoV-2 causes a >100-fold expansion of lung metastases within 2 weeks. The transition is dependent on the proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), which activates the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The disseminated cancer cells then “teach” CD4+ T cells to inhibit the CD8+ T cell response mounted against cancer cell prolifer…