It counts Neuroblastoma One of the most deadly malignant tumors in children, as it contributes a large percentage of childhood cancer deaths worldwide.
Despite significant therapeutic advances over recent years, survival rates are still lower in children from families with difficult social and economic situations, a pattern that has been known for a long time but is not fully understood from a biological standpoint.
Exploring the biology behind health disparities
In line with previous findings from the Children’s Oncology Group of the National Institutes of Health that confirmed a link between poverty and poor survival rates from childhood cancers, researchers at the University of Michigan Health – C. S. Death to Children is developing the first experimental model to test how social factors can influence the biology of tumors themselves.
Led by Dr. Erica Newman, chief of pediatric surgery and Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center’s deputy director for health equity, the team created an innovative animal model that mimics food insecurity by intermittently altering access to food, reflecting the precarious conditions many families face.
The study was recently published in the journal Communications Biology, in which the researchers used validated neuroblastoma transplantation models to observe the effect of these nutritional stresses on tumor growth and biological responses.
Food insecurity is linked to worse outcomes
The results were striking: mice exposed to nutritional instability developed larger and bulkier tumors compared to the control group. A continuous increase in stress hormones (corticosterone) was also observed, in addition to the activation of tumor survival pathways.
“Our work builds on decades of clinical evidence linking poverty, food insecurity, and poor cancer outcomes,” Newman said. “We sought to identify the biology behind these disparities, and show how social conditions can take hold within the body and influence the growth of tumors.”
Implications for health care and policy
This study provides a scientific translational framework linking social factors of health to cancer progression pathways at the molecular level, paving the way for future research investigating how to improve treatment response through interventions that support nutrition and reduce psychosocial stress.
Newman emphasized: “This model gives us a scientific bridge between the social context and the biology of cancer. It shows that the environment in which our patients live, of nutritional stability and security of living, is not just a background, but rather part of the biology that we must confront to achieve equal treatment results.”
The findings come at a time of growing concern about federal nutrition programs, with the potential for disruptions to SNAP amid state budget negotiations.
Newman stresses that these data confirm the importance of policies that ensure stable access to food for children and families most at risk, stressing that health care must take into account the actual living conditions of families.
She also called for the adoption of systematic examinations of social factors, such as food insecurity and economic stress, within pediatric and oncology practices, to ensure that medical care addresses both biological and social factors that contribute to treatment outcome gaps.