JERUSALEM, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have found that silencing a special gene in tumor can halt the spread of cancer, according to a study published Thursday by the Weizmann Institute of Science in central Israel.

The p53 gene, found in every cell in human body, usually contributes to the prevention of cancer. It controls the cell's defenses. However, a cancerous tumor can cause gene "betrayal".

In the early stages of cancer development, the micro-environment, which also contains non-cancerous normal cells, is hostile to tumor malignancy.

But as cancer progresses, the micro-environment gradually changes. The growing tumor enlists the micro-environment in its favor and allows it to spread.

The new study, using mice cells, showed that the change in micro-environment also "spoils" p53. Silencing the gene (preventing its expression) caused these cells to lose the properties that promote cancer.

In addition, silencing p53 gene also decreased the migration of nearby cancer cells, and significantly reduced the ability of these cells to help develop cancer.

The search for ways to "re-educate" p53 may lead to the development of treatments directed at the micro-environment instead of the cancer cells themselves.

In recent years, efforts have been made to develop therapeutic approaches focused on the micro-environment, which develops more slowly than the mutated tumor. This may open new opportunities for effective treatments.