Cancer tumors often create a very acidic environment inside their bodies. This happens because the tumor cells use up oxygen and nutrients quickly, leaving waste products like lactate behind. This waste makes the area around the tumor very sour, like a lemon. Scientists are studying how this sourness changes the behavior of immune cells that live near the tumor.
Normally, immune cells like macrophages and T cells should attack and destroy cancer cells. However, in this acidic environment, these cells change their behavior. They stop fighting the cancer and start protecting it instead. This switch is caused by a chemical process called lactylation. This process adds a special tag to the immune cells that tells them to act differently.
When macrophages get this tag, they begin to help the tumor grow. They might tell other cells to build more blood vessels for the cancer or stop other immune cells from attacking. This makes the tumor stronger and helps it spread to other parts of the body. Understanding this process is very important for finding new ways to treat cancer.