Thursday, April 12, 2012

Arsenic turns stem cells cancerous, spurring tumor growth

Arsenic turns stem cells cancerous, spurring tumor growth
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2012/niehs-04.htm

"Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered how exposure to arsenic can turn normal stem cells into cancer stem cells and spur tumor growth. Inorganic arsenic, which affects the drinking water of millions of people worldwide, has been previously shown to be a human carcinogen. A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer is a stem-cell based disease. Normal stem cells are essential to normal tissue regeneration, and to the stability of organisms and processes. But cancer stem cells are thought to be the driving force for the formation, growth, and spread of tumors."

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