Male origin microchimerism and ovarian cancer
Many of us have cells in our blood which are not our own. This condition called microchimerism occurs most often in women after pregnancy but may also occur with twin-to-twin circulation in the uterus, after blood transfusion, or following organ transplantation. These foreign cells can also be found in solid organs such as the brain and may cause autoimmune conditions and cancer, notably in the breast.
This prospective study of women in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health group, looked for the presence of male cells in blood samples, and measured the frequency of ovarian cancer in women who did carry male cells versus those who did not.
The findings were that the presence of male cells in circulating blood is protective with the risk of ovarian cancer being reduced. The reason is unknown, there was no associated hormonal change detected.
No comments:
Post a Comment