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Gastrointestinal cancer

Neutrophils and cancer: guilt by association

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From Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

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A new study reports that activation of neutrophils leads to the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and coagulation, which then promote development of a tumorigenic microenvironment in the small intestine. These findings provide novel insights into the role of neutrophils in cancer and suggest enticing directions for future research.

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Figure 1: Potential interactions between neutrophils and coagulation in the context of small intestinal tumorigenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, HRIC 3280 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, T2N 4N1, Alberta, Canada

    Paul Kubes

  2. Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, HRIC 3280 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, T2N 4N1, Alberta, Canada

    Craig N. Jenne

Authors
  1. Craig N. Jenne
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  2. Paul Kubes
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Correspondence to Paul Kubes.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Jenne, C., Kubes, P. Neutrophils and cancer: guilt by association. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 13, 381–382 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.90

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