Having sleep apnea could make lung cancer more deadly, study finds

November 18, 2016

A lack of air during a night’s rest releases increased amounts of exosomes
They are responsible for communication between cells in the human body
Sleep apnea sufferers also see their levels of exosomes increase rapidly
Experts say this makes tumours grow bigger and spread around the body

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
09:50 EST, 18 November 2016

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Updated:
09:54 EST, 18 November 2016

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Lung cancer is more deadly in adults who suffer from sleep apnea, new research suggests.

A lack of air during a night’s rest makes tumours grow quicker by releasing exosomes.

They are tiny spheres found in white blood cells that play a key role in the communication between cells.

Sufferers of the treatable condition also see their levels multiply – making tumours grow bigger and spread around the body.

Experts say their findings could make cancer more dangerous in sufferers.

A lack of air during a night’s rest makes tumours grow quicker by releasing exosomes – which play a key role in tumour growth, scientists claim

Sleep apnea is a common condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing.

But varying oxygen levels produced during a bad night’s sleep cause damage that is detectable even at tissue level.

Although many others factors exist, the disorder is also known to increase the risk of many cancers.

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As a result, a team of researchers from Chicago and Barcelona universities investigated lung cancer growth in mice.

Half of the animals experienced regular breathing patterns while others were exposed to hypoxia – a decreased oxygen supply similar to that found in sleep apnea.

They found that more exosomes were released in the mice exposed to breathing difficulties.

Sufferers of the treatable condition also see their levels multiply – making lung tumours grow bigger and spread around the body

These increased the speed at which cancer cells replicated and promoted the movement of tumours throughout the body – increasing the chances of metastasis.

Tumour growth was also found to be promoted after mice were exposed to hypoxia.

In separate tests on humans, exosomes released from patients with sleep apnea showed the same effects on cancerous cells.

Lead researcher David Gozal, based in Chicago, said: ‘Over the past few years, exosomes have emerged as critically important players in intercellular communication.

‘Notably, several studies have demonstrated the role of tumor exosomes in regulating major processes of tumour progression.

‘Exosomes are currently under intense investigation since they have been implicated in the modulation of a wide range of malignant processes.’

The study was published in the journal Chest.