Fungi Grow Inside Cancerous Tumors, Scientists Discover
4th October 2022
Scientists discovered traces of fungi lurking in the tumors of people with different types of cancer, including breast, colon, pancreatic and lung cancers. However, it’s still not clear that theise fungi plays any role in the development or progression of cancer.
Two new studies, both published Sept. 29 in the journal Cell, uncovered DNA from fungal cells hiding out in tumors throughout the body. In one study, researchers dusted for the genetic fingerprints of fungi in 35 different cancer types by examining more than 17,000 tissue, blood and plasma samples from cancer patients. Not every single tumor tissue sample tested positive for fungus, but overall, the team did find fungi in all 35 cancer types assessed.