The treatment of cancer could be revolutionized by the discovery that existing drugs, used to treat depression and heart disease, could reverse key changes in cancer cells that are associated with their ability to spread.

Metastasis, the ability of cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body, is notoriously difficult to treat and is the leading cause of death, meaning that early diagnosis and treatment are vital.

Cancer starts when certain changes take place within the genes inside the nucleus of a cell —the cell's command center which contains its DNA.

Increased Metastasis

When examined under a microscope cancer cells look abnormal, and for over 150 years scientists have used changes in the size of the cell's nucleus to diagnose cancer and its severity.