The Link Between Cancer and Fibrosis

I found an interesting article today (Link here:http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/... ) that focuses on the relationship between cancer and fibrosis.  Cancer is driven by mutations that lead to a less differentiated cellular state accompanied by overactive proliferation, ultimately resulting in tumors and eventually metastasis.  Under normal physiological conditions, active proliferation is NECESSARY for regeneration after injury (think when you scratch yourself and subsequent wound healing).  On the other hand, fibrosis is often regarded as "putting the brakes" on proliferative processes as fibrosis is often associated with high levels of cellular senescence, or cells being arrested at some point in the cell cycle.  In this way, we can regard fibrosis and cancer as alternative processes to each other. 

This relationship between fibrosis and cancer may be evolutionary in nature.  Fibrosis may have developed as a way to combat processes leading to cancer.  And in this way, fibrosis may serve as a natural defense mechanism against cancer.     

I thought that this was an interesting idea that I have to be mindful of as I work on my project.  The aim of my project is to eventually find an anti-fibrotic agent that will protect from or reverse kidney fibrosis.  But if fibrosis is essential for stopping cancer from occurring, this may suggest that using an anti-fibrotic agent may increase the likelihood of developing a kidney-related cancer.  

I also find this relationship interesting because I've started using my cisplatin model in a lung cancer mouse model to make my model even more clinically relevant.  Even though cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic and we should see an increase in survival of these mice treated with the drug, we actually see the opposite effect.  Furthermore, we also see an exacerbated level of fibrosis in the kidney.  While we don't yet know how or why this is occurring, it's an interesting find nonetheless.  It also further supports the idea that fibrosis and cancer are related processes.