This research investigates how glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain cancer, transitions from a localized mass to a lethal, infiltrative growth pattern. Using mouse models and human samples, scientists discovered that microglia—the brain's immune cells—are mobilized in "oncofields" ahead of the tumor to create organized invasion tracks. These immune cells transform into oncostreams, which are longitudinal structures that physically guide collective cancer cell migration and restructure the extracellular matrix. A key molecular finding identifies the plexin-B2 receptor in immune cells as the essential regulator that allows these tracks to form. When this receptor is removed, the cancer loses its ability to infiltrate and is forced back into a less mobile bulk expansion state. This study highlights how targeting the physical coordination between the tumor microenvironment and cancer cells could provide new ways to halt brain cancer spread.

References:

• Kang S, Ughetta M E, Zhang J Y, et al. Glioblastoma shift from bulk to infiltrative growth is guided by plexin-B2-mediated microglia alignment in invasive niches[J]. Nature cancer, 2025, 6(9): 1505-1523.