Migrating Cancer Cells Follow Their Noses into Body Tissues

Migrating cancer cells could use a nose job—not for appearances’ sake, but to cut down on metastasis. A pronounced nose, which indicates a high degree of polarization, isn’t found on every cancer cell that breaks free of a tumor and enters the circulatory system. But the more polarized cancer cells do seem to be better at invading tissues and settling at body sites, some of which may be far from the primary tumor.The ability of circulating cancer cells to nose into body tissues