A recent study published in Gut offers groundbreaking insights into colorectal cancer (CRC), revealing that the disease may persist in a state of chronic, unresolved inflammation, akin to a poorly healing wound. Researchers utilized advanced techniques, including lipidomics, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics, to identify a critical imbalance within the tumor microenvironment.
The study highlights an elevation of pro-inflammatory mediators, such as leukotrienes, coupled with a deficiency of pro-resolving lipid mediators, including lipoxins and resolvins. This defective lipid class switching contributes to a sustained inflammatory state that supports tumor growth and progression.
These findings suggest that targeting this imbalance through “resolution medicine” could pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring the body’s natural mechanisms to resolve inflammation, potentially altering the trajectory of CRC treatment.
