Pound for pound, fat contains more energy than any other nutrient. So it’s perhaps not surprising that certain cancer cells show a clear preference for growth in fatty tissues.

　　一磅换一磅，脂肪所含的能量比任何其他营养素都要多。因此，某些癌细胞明显偏好生长在脂肪含量高的组织中也并不奇怪。

　　According to a new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), melanomas prefer to grow near adipose (fat) tissue. The team, led by Richard White, a physician-scientist in the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at SKI, showed that melanomas actively take in lipids if given the chance, and they tend to migrate toward tissues rich in fat cells.

　　纪念斯隆凯特林学院(MSK)研究人员的一项新研究表明，黑色素瘤更喜欢在脂肪组织附近生长。由理查德.怀特领导的研究小组发现，如果时机合适，黑色素瘤会主动吸收脂质，而且更容易向富含脂肪细胞的组织转移。

　　“This is the seed-and-soil hypothesis,” White says. “Tumor cells like to go to places where there is fertile soil. Based on our results, we think that adipose tissue can be very fertile soil for melanoma.”

　　“这是种子-土壤假说”怀特说。“肿瘤细胞喜欢去有肥沃土壤的地方。我们的研究结果显示，脂肪组织可以成为黑色素瘤生长的肥沃土壤。”

　　That the presence of fat cells could help some cancer cells grow and spread sheds new light on the deepening connection between obesity and cancer and could offer a new avenue for treatment. For certain cancers, cutting off the fat supply could be a means of fighting the disease.

　　脂肪细胞的存在可以帮助一些癌细胞生长和扩散，这使人们对肥胖和癌症之间日益加深的关系有了新的认识，且为治疗癌症提供了新途径。对于某些癌症，切断脂肪供应可能不失为对抗疾病的一种手段。

　　OBESITY AND CANCER

　　肥胖和癌症

　　Researchers have found that obesity is a significant risk factor for cancer and they are still untangling the relationship. While White’s study doesn’t directly address the matter, he says it does show a concrete link between lipids and cancer growth. In that sense, it adds one piece to what is likely a very large puzzle.

　　研究人员发现，肥胖是患癌症的一大危险因素，他们仍在研究这一关系。虽然怀特的研究没有直接解决这个问题，但他说，研究确实显示了脂质与癌症生长之间的具体联系。从这个意义上说，癌症这一大难题的一小部分得到了解决。

　　Whether altering one’s diet to consume less fats might forestall melanoma progression is another open question, one the team is interested in exploring further.

　　改变饮食结构以减少脂肪摄入是否能预防黑素瘤的恶化，这是另一个有待解决的问题，该研究小组有兴趣进一步探索这一问题。

　　The study shows the utility of model systems like zebrafish for studying cancer, and the advantage of a place like MSK, where basic scientists and clinicians can easily collaborate.

　　这项研究显示了像斑马鱼这样的生物模型系统在研究癌症方面的效用，以及在MSK这种地方的优势，在那里基础科学家和临床医生很容易就可以进行合作。

　　“We started this in the zebrafish and were able to take it all the way through to human tissues,” White says. “It would have been tough to pull this off at another institution.”

　　怀特说:“我们从斑马鱼身上开始做这个实验，并把它带到人体组织中。”“要在另一家机构做到这一点很难。”