Tumor cells found in the blood of breast cancer patients up to 20 years after surgery suggest that the body may have ways of keeping a dormant cancer in check, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. One third of 36 former breast cancer patients were found to have the cells, according to the team at the University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas. The study, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, seems to show the body can maintain a balance between tumor cell proliferation and cell death. People who stay cancer-free may have a system for keeping a tumor under control, the researchers said.
