Killing cancer requires immune cells to infiltrate tumors' hostile microenvironment, sugar shields can help them break in

Article excerpt

Cancer tumors create hostile microenvironments that actively exclude or weaken immune cells, researchers have found, but a new discovery about sugar shields offers a potential breakthrough. The tumor's cellular neighborhood functions as a coordinated defense system rather than merely a mass of uncontrolled growth. By understanding how sugar-based barriers protect malignant cells from immune infiltration, scientists may be able to help the body's natural defenses penetrate these fortifications and mount more effective attacks against cancer.