"Can the Common Cold Virus Prevent Breast Cancer from Spreading to the Lungs?" UK Researchers Make Surprising Announcement

Lung Tumor Incidence Decreases in RSV-Infected Mice

"Further Verification Needed in Humans"

A new study has found that a common cold virus may help inhibit lung metastasis of breast cancer.

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On May 3, the UK’s Daily Mail reported that researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) recently confirmed that the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), known for causing coughs and colds, demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the metastasis of breast cancer. RSV is a respiratory virus commonly associated with coughs and the common cold.

The lungs are among the most frequent sites to which breast cancer metastasizes. Sixty percent of patients with stage 4 breast cancer experience metastasis to the lungs, and in such cases, the five-year survival rate is only 30%.

The researchers verified through experiments on mice that RSV suppresses the metastasis of breast cancer to the lungs. After injecting breast cancer cells into mice and creating conditions for the cancer to spread to the lungs, they found that mice recently infected with RSV developed fewer lung tumors than those that had never contracted RSV. The research team explained that the immune system of mice infected with RSV—particularly the immunity in the lungs—was strengthened.

The researchers stated, “This discovery could provide important clues for understanding how cancer metastasizes and open the door to new treatments to prevent cancer spread.” However, they added that RSV infection itself will not be used as a treatment method.

Cecilia Johansson, Professor at ICL’s National Heart and Lung Institute, said, “It’s encouraging if we can make the lungs more resistant to metastatic cancer cells,” adding, “We now need to confirm whether these effects occur in humans and consider how we can leverage this discovery.” She further noted that developing drugs to mimic the observed effects will be a challenge going forward.

This study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States.

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