Increased retinoic acid signaling decreases lung metastasis in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma by inhibiting the noncanonical Notch1 pathway

Abstract

Cancer: vitamin A derivative prevents salivary gland tumors spreading Treatment of salivary gland tumors with a metabolite of vitamin A could help prevent rare cancer from spreading to the lungs. A team led by Xiao-hong Chen and Lu Kong from Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, performed extensive molecular profiling on primary and metastatic tumor cells taken from two patients with advanced salivary gland cancer. Even though these patients’ cancers did not harbor either of two common mutations that are hallmarks of the disease, both of which drive tumor proliferation and spread, the cells did show signs of altered gene expression and faulty molecular signaling consistent with these same mutational profiles. The abnormal signaling could be overcome by treatment with retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A that, when given to mouse models of cancer, reduced the development of lung metastases.