Why cancer cells grow despite a lack of oxygen

(Goethe University Frankfurt) Healthy cells reduce their growth when there is a lack of oxygen (hypoxia). This makes it even more surprising that hypoxia is a characteristic feature of malignant tumors. In two publications in the current edition of the 'Nature Communications' journal, researchers from Goethe University and the Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen report on how cancer cells succeed at circumventing the genetic program of growth inhibition.