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Tumor-derived erythropoietin acts as immunosuppressive switch in cancer immunity

(www.science.org)
140 points bookofjoe | 1 comments | 25 Apr 25 14:42 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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mariusor ◴[25 Apr 25 18:04 UTC] No.43796740[source]▶
Let me guess, this research was sponsored by Lance Armstrong?
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hinkley ◴[25 Apr 25 18:44 UTC] No.43797186[source]▶
Huh. I assumed this was going to be a collision of acronyms but erythropoietin is the same EPO used medicinally to treat anemia and abused by several generations of endurance athletes (complications include strokes and heart attacks from blood clot).

It’s a stress-signaling hormone produced by the kidneys when they detect hypoxia and triggers more red blood cell production in bone marrow.

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mariusor ◴[25 Apr 25 19:58 UTC] No.43797940[source]▶
What makes this mildly funny, though I admit in quite poor taste, is the fact that Armstrong did indeed suffer of cancer to which he lost a testicle before his comeback to win multiple Tour de France back to back. So theoretically his EPO positive results could be attributed to those tumors producing it, if this research is to be believed. Maybe not all of the times though.
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1. hinkley ◴[25 Apr 25 20:55 UTC] No.43798421[source]▶
He was on steroids post treatment as well. Chemotherapy likes to cause anemia. In fact I think that’s where I first heard of EPO. Some survivor crowing about the efficacy at making them feel human again.

And they’ve discovered in more recent studies that steroid use has effects that last about twice as long as it’s detectable in your body (2 vs 1 year?). If sports weren’t such a young person’s game, I’d worry about people taking off for “surgery” and coming back built like a linebacker but testing clean.