Collagen can be a major driver of cancer, influencing almost every step in the cancer process, and it is an inhibitor of anti-cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
CANCERactive's Oxford University Biochemist, Chris Woollamd writes, "Many people, especially women, take collagen supplements and collagen is the most abundant protein in animals, a major component of the extra cellular matrix (ECM), a major building block of healthy cells - it seems natural and 'safe'. There are 28 types of collagen and it makes up 30% if total protein in your body.
A number of 'Natural Health 'Experts' extol its benefits and even sell collagen compounds. So, my research through the scientific literature, surprised me a lot. Collagens can modulate the behaviour of cells even promoting diseases such as cancer. Collagen is very important to cancer - one study called collagens the 'Guardians of cancer'.
Interactions between tumour cells and collagen influence every step of tumour development (1). Collagen is even a potential target for cancer treatments because it is a major component of cancer tumours, protecting the tumour (2). Collagens play a part both in cancer metabolism and even when cells become dormant (5)",
Collagen, Cancer and Fibrosis
Collagens and other ECM compounds are produced by fibroblasts. Collagen enhances fibrosis in the tumour microenvironment. This stiffens the tumour enhancing cancer progression and enhancing tumour cell growth, survival, migration and metastasis, and the stiff structure that also induces angiogenesis and hypoxia while restricting anti-tumour immune activity. Not surprisingly, tumour aggression and poor patient prognosis correlate with increasing tissue fibross (3).
Fibrosis can also influence tumour cell behaviour through tyrosine kinase receptors, and some signalling pathways. Cancer cell to cell messages are influenced by exosomes and microRNAs and these are also influenced by collagen.
Collagen blocks anti-tumour activity?
Type I collagen regulates the efficacy of anti-tumour therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
Type I collagen fragments are also accurate diagnostic markers of metastatic tumours and are important factors in cancer prognosis. Inhibition of type I collagen synthesis has anti-cancer effects in animal studies (1).
Does Collagen have any anti-tumour activity itself?
Collagen’s effects are extremely tumour-dependent and collagen 1 has also been shown to possess antitumor activity - in certain circumstances, it seems to enhance dendritic cell activity against tumours (4).
Is Marine Collagen any different?
A key question. Certainly many promoters of collagen have moved to extolling Marine Collagen. There are apparently 5 'types' of collagen. The natural degradation of collagen in the skin leads to aging and wrinkles. It can affect bone density and immune function. Marine collagen apparently adds flexibility to the skin (6). In a major review on Marine Collagen (7) there does not seem to be mention of cancer. It is just concerned with skin aging.
Collagen and cancer - bottom line
Chris Woollams writes, "Collagen seems to have far more negatives than I imagined from the general promotion coming from natural health 'experts'. It is probably wiser to leave collagen supplements alone if you worry about cancer. The only positive research seemed to be for Marine collagen and the skin, but this was very limited.
Using AI to see if I had made a mistake, I clearly hadn't.
From AI - The CANCERactive article posits that collagen is a major driver of cancer, influencing nearly every step of the disease process and acting as an inhibitor to standard treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. It aligns with the broader scientific consensus that high collagen density creates a physical barrier in the tumor microenvironment, protecting cancer cells and hindering drug delivery.'
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References
- Targeting type I collagen for cancer treatment; Run Shi et al; Int J Cancer; 2022 Sep 1;151(5):665-683.
- The role of collagen in cancer: from bench to bedside; Shuaishuai Xu et al; J Trans Med; 2019 Sep 14;17(1):309.
- Fibrosis and cancer: A strained relationship; Bram Piersma, Mary-Kate Hayward , Valerie M Weaver; Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer; 2020 Apr;1873(2):188356. doi: 10.1016/’
- Collagen I enhances the efficiency and anti-tumor activity of dendritic-tumor fusion cells; Oncoimmunology. Jia He et al; 2017; 6(12): e1361094.
- Collagens in cancer: structural regulators and guardians of cancer progression; Daniela De Martino, Jose Javier Bravo-Cordero; Cancer Res. 2023 May 2;83(9):1386–1392.
- Antiaging Potential of Peptides from Underused Marine Bioresources; .Xia E., Zhu X., Gao X., Ni J., Guo H. Mar. Drugs. 2021;19:513.
- Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Marine Collagen: A Scientific Exploration for Delaying Skin Aging; Azizur Rahman et al; Mar Drugs. 2024 Mar 30;22(4):159.