The Double-Edged Proteins in Cancer Proteomes and the Generation of Induced Tumor-Suppressing Cells

This review discusses the dual roles of tumor-secreted proteins, which can act as both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing agents depending on the context. It highlights that while oncogenic proteins typically promote tumor cell proliferation and migration, they may also function as tumor suppressors when secreted extracellularly. The behavior of these proteins varies between aggressive "super-fit" tumor cells, which tend to secrete tumor-suppressing proteins, and "less-fit" or chemotherapy-treated tumor cells, which may release tumor-promoting proteins. Additionally, proteomes from non-tumor cells like mesenchymal stem cells often resemble those from tumor cells under certain conditions. The review suggests that these phenomena may be explained by mechanisms of cell competition.