Macrophage Matrix Remodeling Awakens Dormant Breast Cancer Cells in Laboratory Models
Published in Diseases!, Immunology, Journals.
Published October 24, 2026.
A study published in Oncogenesis investigates how immune cells may help dormant breast cancer cells resume growth. Kitti Jenovai and colleagues used three-dimensional cocultures to examine interactions between macrophages, cancer cells and the extracellular matrix surrounding them.
In these laboratory systems, macrophages promoted cancer-cell awakening by altering that matrix. The researchers identified two macrophage-derived enzymes, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) and lysyl oxidase (LOX), as important contributors to this remodeling.
The modified surroundings activated EGFR/HER2 signaling in dormant cancer cells without requiring the usual receptor-binding ligands. The work therefore points to a route through which inflammation can influence cancer-cell behavior indirectly, by changing the physical and biochemical environment around cells.
The central finding concerns an in vitro model. It does not establish that blocking these enzymes prevents recurrence in patients, and it provides no demonstrated treatment benefit. Further studies are needed to determine how broadly this mechanism operates in living tissues and whether it can be targeted safely.
The publisher released an accepted, peer-reviewed version that remains subject to further editing.