Metastasis — when cancer spreads to form new tumors — causes approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths. Because metastatic cancer cells circulate in the blood, the liver — which filters the blood — is considered the most vulnerable organ, so treatments that prevent liver metastasis are urgently needed. A team of researchers discovered a mechanism that allows metastatic cancer cells to infiltrate the liver, and how that infiltration can be blocked by inhibiting a related protein.
