A report from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle finds a way in which normal cells (fibroblasts) "rally to the defense" of damaged neighbor cells that just happen to be cancerous. They produce a special protein that is known to help cancer cells spread. The result is that in some people cancers develop a resistance to chemotherapy.
I haven't reviewed the report, but it sounds plausible that tissues in the body respond to injury by trying to help the damaged area grow back, even if the damaged area is cancerous--figuring that trickery out is beyond the pay grade of your average fibroblast.
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