University of Pittsburgh researchers identify cells in fallopian tube tissue that may trigger an aggressive form of this cancer.
A new discovery from the University of Pittsburgh has revealed a potential starting point for a very aggressive type of ovarian cancer. Researchers have found that certain cells within the fallopian tube stroma, specifically in the tissue that supports the tubes, may be responsible for triggering this cancer. This form of ovarian cancer, known as high-grade serous ovarian cancer, is the most common kind and causes many deaths among women in the United States each year.
The real problem with ovarian cancer is that it’s hard to catch early. Currently, there aren’t good ways to find it before it gets serious, and there aren’t really any ways to prevent it, except for surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes, which is only done for women with a very high risk. Understanding how this cancer begins is key to finding better ways to help women.
The cancer starts in the fallopian tubes when healthy cells turn into something called STIC lesions. These lesions are like precancerous growths. Normally, most research has looked at the cells that change into these lesions. But the researchers at Pitt decided to look at the tissue around these cells, called the stroma. This tissue plays a role in how cancers grow.
They found that within the stroma, there are cells that normally help with tissue growth and repair. In ovarian cancer, these cells get changed by the cancer cells to help the cancer grow instead. The researchers wanted to know when these changed cells in the stroma show up and how early they start helping the cancer.
When they looked at the fallopian tubes of women without cancer, they found cells that looked like the ones that help cancer grow. These cells were more common in women who were older or had certain gene changes that increase their risk of ovarian cancer. This suggests that these cells might be involved in starting the cancer.
To see what these cells do, the researchers put them into tiny lab-grown versions of fallopian tube tissue. They found that these cells could make healthy cells turn cancerous. These cells damage the DNA of the healthy cells and then help the damaged cells survive. This combination is what starts the cancer.
These cells also help the cancer grow faster and become harder to treat with chemotherapy. The researchers found that these cells lack a certain antioxidant. This lack leads to higher levels of a protein that causes DNA damage.
This is the first time researchers have shown that changes in the tissue around the fallopian tubes can actually cause ovarian cancer to start. This finding opens up the possibility of finding ways to stop these changes. For example, there are already drugs that could potentially reverse these early changes.
The discovery could also lead to better ways to detect ovarian cancer early. The cells they found release substances that could be detected in the blood. These substances could act as markers for early-stage cancer.
The research was supported by several organizations, including foundations and government agencies. The researchers hope their findings will lead to better prevention and detection methods for ovarian cancer, ultimately improving outcomes for women.
Sources:
Pitt study uncovers a novel trigger of deadly form of ovarian cancer
Aged and BRCA mutated stromal cells drive epithelial cell transformation
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