Cancer Immunology

Study finds dural cancer metastases hijack bone cells to damage brain lymphatic vessels

Researchers led by Zeng et al., publishing in Nature, report that tumours spreading to the dura—the brain's outer membrane—recruit bone-degrading osteoclast cells. These osteoclasts damage nearby meningeal lymphatic vessels, which normally drain fluid from around the brain, and weaken local immune defences against the tumour.