Â鶹´«Ã½

LOS ANGELES (May 2, 2025) -- 

Melanoma: Age-Related Biological Changes Cause Tumors to Spread

In a preclinical study, Cedars-Sinai investigators have demonstrated how age-related changes to cells surrounding a tumor make melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, more likely to spread in patients age 70 and older. Their research, published in the peer-reviewed journal , could lead to new therapies to help prevent melanoma metastasis.

“We set out to determine what drives melanoma metastasis in aging, and whether we can introduce changes that stop the cancer from spreading,” said , director of the Translational Research Institute and interim scientific director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, and senior author of the study. “We identified a possible target for age-dependent therapies in melanoma and in other tumor types that could help us address difficult-to-treat cancers.”

Working with aged laboratory mice, investigators discovered that aging alters the activity of immune cells called macrophages in the immediate vicinity of the tumor. This supports tumor cell spreading, resulting in metastases. Their experiments found that inhibiting expression of a protein called TREM2 on the surface of macrophages prevented melanoma from spreading to the lungs of aging mice. They confirmed these results by looking at the cell composition of tumor samples from human melanoma patients age 70 and older.

Read more:

Genetic Profiling of Colorectal Tumors Across Populations

Colorectal tumors can vary in molecular mutations among individuals and communities, according to a new study from Cedars-Sinai Cancer. Investigators reporting in the peer-reviewed journal  concluded that these differences could guide personalized precision approaches to colorectal cancer treatment.

“Colorectal cancers frequently have specific mutated genes, some of which can be targeted with existing targeted therapies,” said , professor of Medicine and co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and co-senior author of the study. “We identified distinct molecular alterations of colorectal tumors that are more likely to occur in some patients based on their genetic ancestry. These results could help us target treatments and better understand differences in treatment response among different patient groups.”

Figueiredo said that molecularly driven therapies for colorectal cancer are rapidly expanding, can already target at least six distinct tumor compositions, and that further studies are needed to identify therapies to target the distinct features identified in this research.

Read more:

Preclinical Study Reveals How Alcohol Promotes Fat Buildup in Liver

Cedars-Sinai investigators have discovered a signaling interaction between two proteins in cells that controls fat accumulation in the livers of laboratory mice with alcohol-associated liver disease. The findings point to a potential method to reduce liver damage in patients with the condition.

Excessive fat in the liver is an early characteristic of alcohol-associated liver disease, which is the most frequent underlying cause of alcohol-associated deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new study found that a specific cellular signaling pathway, which helps maintain normal fat levels in the liver, was suppressed in alcohol-associated liver disease mice. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal .

“Therapeutic approaches that control fat accumulation may be able to stop liver disease from progressing to a more advanced state,” said , associate professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, member of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. “Based on our research, one possible treatment could involve creating a drug to mimic the interaction that is integral to the signaling pathway, to normalize fat levels in the liver.”

Read more:

Cedars-Sinai Expert for Stroke Month

With more than 140,000 deaths from stroke occurring in the U.S. each year, , co-director of the  and professor of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai, recommends risk-reduction strategies everyone can follow. “By staying connected and engaged in our social bonds, avoiding tobacco use, and paying attention to what we eat, physical activity, sleep, waist measurement, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, everyone can improve brain health and resiliency,” she said. “This helps maintain quality of life and lowers risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and other major health problems.”

_ _ _

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences.  about the university.

Interested in interviewing a Cedars-Sinai expert? Email [email protected].