The prevailing view is that cancer cells are continuously shed into the bloodstream during tumour progression. However, the dynamics of circulating tumour cell (CTC) release as well as their propensity to metastasize have not been thoroughly interrogated until now. Publishing their findings in Nature, a group led by Nicola Aceto have found that in both mouse models and patients with breast cancer, the timing of spontaneous CTC production coincides with sleep, which has important implications for the clinical utility of CTCs as liquid biopsies as well as cancer treatment.

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