Cancer and the Nervous System: Tumor Growth, Metastasis, and Neurobiology

Cancer and the Nervous System: Tumor Growth, Metastasis, and Neurobiology Tumors do more than coexist with nerves; they can recruit, rewire, and exploit neural signaling in ways that reshape growth, immunity, and metastatic spread. Recent evidence shows a complex bidirectional relationship between the nervous system and cancer. This emerging field, known as cancer neuroscience, examines how neurons, neurotransmitters, and neural networks influence tumor initiation, growth, immune regulation, and metastasis, while tumors actively remodel and recruit neural structures to support their progression. These interactions can occur locally within the tumor microenvironment or systemically through neural, neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, and circulating signaling pathways. Understanding these complex interactions has transformed perspectives on tumor biology and identified the nervous system as a promising target for novel cancer therapies. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Cancer-and-the-Nervous-System-Tumor-Growth-Metastasis-and-Neurobiology.aspx