Florence and Phyllis on Tumor Microenvironment
Dear Florence and Phyllis,
I have been changing a lot lately. I know appearance doesn’t matter and I shouldn’t care about these things, but I’m worried. Worst of all, some cells started to call me “thick” and “dense.” What is happening to me?
For a little bit of context, all was good until a new family of cells moved into the neighborhood. The Melanoma Family is their name. They were not friendly neighbors, taking up all the resources for themselves and outgrowing everyone else. We fought hard, and we finally managed to kick them out, or so we thought. I don’t know what happened next, but that’s when I started to change. And now I’m “dense” and the rowdy Melanoma Family is back and here to stay. There is no way to get rid of them anymore. Please help.
Sincerely yours,
Extra-Cellular Matrix (aka ECM)
FLORENCE: I’m sorry to hear what is happening to you, Extra-Cellular Matrix. Can we call you ECM? You are right, your neighbors sound awful. More than that, they’re cancer cells!
PHYLLIS: I know these types of cells and they are bad news. ECM has to say no to this family. Good cells have to stick together, and my girl ECM here is doing just that. She’s the glue supporting all the cells in her neighborhood. What I don’t get, though, is why she changed her appearance.
FLORENCE: What happened to her is normal. Dr. Andrew White, associate professor in the department of Biomedical Sciences, and his graduate student Chia-Hsin Hsu, have recently published a paper in Advanced Science that might be useful here. They studied cases of extra-cellular matrix becoming dense.
PHYLLIS: Would you stop calling her dense? ECM has already taken enough abuse from her neighbors!
FLORENCE: Being “dense” is not an insult. It just means that fighting the Melanoma Family has toughened our friend up. She gained extra collagen, which gives her a thickened appearance. As a result, ECM started to act like a physical barrier, preventing cytotoxic T cells, the immune cells that directly kill cancer, from reaching the tumor. And that’s why treatments that seemed to work initially stopped working.
PHYLLIS: You are saying that ECM is preventing the therapy from working? Will you stop victim-shaming, Flo? We’re trying to help here!
FLORENCE: It’s not her fault. It’s a side-effect of the battle against the Melanoma Family. Fortunately, White and Hsu may have found a solution: They think ECM needs to drop some of that extra collagen.
PHYLLIS: I hope you’re not about to tell ECM to lay off the soda, take a walk or just be “healthy.” This isn’t that simple, you know?
FLORENCE: Not at all. White and Hsu just discovered that some molecules that are used to reduce tissue scarring can help decrease ECM’s density. This will allow T cells to pass through her and attack the tumor again. Repurposing or fine-tuning these drugs for cancer could help prevent relapses or make existing treatments more effective.
PHYLLIS: You’re saying that ECM just needs to loosen up to win that battle and evict the Melanoma Family?
FLORENCE: That might be an important strategy to win the fight, but remember she’s not fighting alone. The ECM and the cells around form a community that scientists call the tumor micro-environment.
PHYLLIS: Ah, I knew it! Community support is so important.
Florence: Exactly. Therapy takes place within the tumor micro-environment and our friend the ECM is a vital part of that ecosystem.
PHYLLIS: So inspiring…
FLORENCE: I've also often heard Dr. White say that curing cancer isn’t just about killing cancer cells, it's about restoring the body's own environment. That way the immune system can fight back effectively. I hope this helps, ECM. Stay strong.
PHYLLIS: Absolutely. Self-care is important, ECM! Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Meet the hosts
Florence B. Owl
Florence’s interest in science started when she was just an owlet. Born from barred owl parents who nested near the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, she fell from her home tree and was rescued by veterinarians at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital. Florence’s hospital stay sparked her passion for veterinary knowledge. Now an adult, this lifelong learner roosts outside the school, where she can peek in on the scientific research and clinical care happening at the college and keep her knowledge on par with the researchers she considers her peers.
Phyllis L. Packah
Born and raised on a farm, Phyllis has worked in upstate New York’s textile industry all her life. With her down-to-earth attitude, sassy opinions and endless, nosy curiosity, Phyllis enjoys asking questions and getting answers so she can show off her knowledge on a variety of topics. Like most alpacas, she firmly believes that her high-end coat sets her a cut above the rest, though she’d never admit it. With her tenacious ability to dig into topics and bring up the questions others might be afraid to ask, Phyllis is almost always guaranteed to get the full story.
About the Phyllis and Florence Series
Phyllis and Florence struck up a friendship when Phyllis came to the Cornell Nemo Farm Animal Hospital for a check-up. Now the unlikely pair have combined their curiosity and wisdom to explain complicated topics in the veterinary medicine world and to offer advice to their readers. Explore their conversations for insights into the latest trends in veterinary medicine and new research at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Read all of Florence and Phyllis’s conversations.
Images of Florence and Phyllis are AI-generated and do not represent real animals.