Mast-cell derived nerve growth factor drives ILC2 pro-tumoral functions in bladder cancer
New Study Reveals How Bladder Cancer “Hijacks” the Immune System — Opening Door to New Treatments
A new scientific study has uncovered how bladder cancer can manipulate the body’s own immune system to support its growth — and how blocking this process could improve treatment outcomes.
Researchers have identified a key molecule, called nerve growth factor (NGF), that plays an unexpected role in helping tumors evade immune defenses. While NGF is normally involved in the growth and survival of nerve cells, the study shows it can also act inside tumors to weaken the body’s ability to fight cancer.
How Cancer Turns the Immune System Against Itself
The researchers found that certain immune cells within tumors, known as mast cells, release NGF into the tumor environment. This molecule then activates another group of immune cells called ILC2s.
Instead of helping fight the tumor, these activated ILC2 cells trigger a cascade of effects that suppress the immune response. In particular, they increase the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) — immune cells that normally prevent excessive inflammation but, in this case, end up protecting the tumor.
This creates an “immunosuppressive” environment, allowing cancer cells to grow more easily and avoid being attacked.
Impact on Patient Outcomes
The study also found that patients with higher levels of NGF in their tumors tend to have worse outcomes. This suggests that NGF not only influences tumor behavior but may also serve as a marker of disease severity.
A Promising New Treatment Strategy
Encouragingly, the researchers tested a drug that blocks NGF signaling and found it could slow tumor growth in experimental models. Even more promising, when this approach was combined with immunotherapy, the treatment became more effective.
Immunotherapy — which helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer — often fails in bladder cancer patients. This new strategy could help overcome that resistance by removing the tumor’s protective shield.
