Scientists Discover How To Reactivate Cancer’s Dormant “Kill Switch” https://tinyurl.com/yeytv4es Ovarian cancer presents late. The peak incidence is at age 75 which is about 10 years later than most cancers.   T heories  about why this is so  suggested  that there is a period of dormancy ,  an d that the cancer becomes overt  because of some unexplained change. This research suggests that  many   aggressive and hard to treat  c ancers  including ovarian cancer  hijack normal protective functions that would other wise limit cancer invasion.  This  protect ive mechanism limits cellular meta bolism by  blocking DNA and RNA transcription , with consequent reduction in  enzyme and protein activity which would otherwise promote cancer growth. When this process is  hijacked ,  the protection is lost. This research suggests that the protective mechanism can b e restored using synthetic RNA fragments to al...

Aged and BRCA mutated stromal cells drive epithelial cell  transformation https://tinyurl.com/mxs7nz32 Ovarian cancer is different, the commonest type called   serous cancer presents late with metastasis. It has been known for some time that the most likely site  of origin for this cancer is the fallopian tube  as a precursor abnormality of the epithelium occurs known as a serous tubal intraepithelial  cancer (STIC) lesion. These lesions have a high risk of conversion to invasive cancer with subsequent spread to ovary, meaning that ovarian cancer is always advanced at the time of  presentation. It seemed logical that STIC lesions would develop in the epithelium as a result of conversion from  adaptable stem cells. This research  from the US suggests that the  initial change occurs in cells from the  sub-epithelial layer known as the stroma. The responsible cells are called mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Usually ,  these cells assist...

Adipose tissue loss during neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a key prognostic factor in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer https://tinyurl.com/55ykwrm4 Early understanding of probable poor survival may be useful in planning the management of ovarian cancer. This study looks at  changes in body composition that occur after chemo prior to surgery (neoadjuvant chemo). This prospective study looked at 53 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who received  three cycles of chemo before surgery. Using CT scans before and after chemo the mu s cl e and fat volumes  were measured. All patients showed loss of muscle and fat.  This was greater for those women who were obese before treatment. Loss of muscle volume did not alter survival. Loss of fat  however  was a marker of poor survival especially when the fat loss wa s visceral within the abdomen rather than subcutaneous .  This was  even   more marked when the weight loss was rapid. The authors suggest that n...

Leader cells promote immunosuppression to drive ovarian cancer progression in vivo https://tinyurl.com/myym6w6v In medical research having a catchy name for any recent findings is a good tool to promo te visibility and attract funding. A recent article from the Hudson  Institute demonstrates this. Ovarian cancer presents late with metastasis having already occurred for 75% of cases at  the time of diagnosis. This study looks at  a feature of aggressive ovarian cancer ,  whereby cells at the margins of the cancer known as “Leader cells” ,  develop  invasive outgrowths formed of  keratin-14, a protein similar to skin and hair pr oteins. The presence of these leader cells promotes invasion of surrounding tissues, the exact nature of why this occurs is unclear  but studies in mice ovarian cancer cells show immune suppre s sion . As a result, the normal protective immune reaction to in vasion ,  mediated by  T cell lymphocytes is inactivated....