Nuclear function of secreted neutrophil elastase in NSCLC

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and kills more patients each year than does breast, colon, prostate and pancreatic cancer, combined. Most patients are diagnosed at advanced stage with limited treatment options and distant metastases with overall five-year survival rates below 18%. Whereas primary tumors, when detected at early stage, are considered to be curable, metastatic disease is largely incurable and accounts for more that 90% of cancer mortality. This highlight the need to identify novel mechanisms of metastasis, identify targets and develop therapeutics to tackle this deadly disease. In this study we will investigate the role of neutrophil elastase, a neutrophil-derived serine proteinase, in lung cancer metastasis. This study will give rise to a novel aspect of neutrophils in cancer and on the pro-metastatic function of these cells.