The wound-healing process after cancer surgery (and elective reconstructive surgery) can cause dormant tumors to begin growing in injured mice, researchers reported in a recent study published in Science Translational Medicine. The findings may explain why metastatic recurrence is common in breast cancer patients following surgery.
“It’s not the actual surgery, but instead, it’s the post-surgical wound response,” coauthor Robert Weinberg, a biologist at MIT, tells USA Today. “It is provoking already disseminated cells to begin to grow into clinically detectable metastases.”
The researchers found that in mice who were operated on, 60 percent of the tumors continued to grow. In control mice that did not undergo surgery, only 10 percent of tumors persisted.
I have long stated that the hormones and healing chemokines secreted by the body to heal a wound can be akin to pouring gasoline on fire for cancer cells. That being said, it is obvious that some cancer surgeries are unavoidable and we don’t want to add fear to the mix. However, elective surgeries can be avoided or at least, postponed.
Surgeons working with a scissors on a patient in a operating theater
NOTE: All of the above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Dr. Conners graduated with his doctorate from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 1986. He holds AMA Fellowships in Regenerative & Functional Medicine and Integrative Cancer Therapy.
He is the author of numerous books including, Stop Fighting Cancer and Start Treating the Cause, Cancer Can’t Kill You if You’re Already Dead, Help, My Body is Killing Me, Chronic Lyme, 3 Phases of Lyme, 23 Steps to Freedom, and many more you can download for FREE on our books page.