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Ovarian cancer: new ways of treating with genetics
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The results of a new study aimed at establishing the genetic components of ovarian cancer cells make it possible to understand why some women with this disease live longer than others.
A team of scientists, led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, conducted a study identifying genetic patterns in ovarian cancer tumors that will help differentiate patients depending on the length of their life after the first operation.
"We found genetic differences in ovarian tumors in women with cancer," explains Dr. Patricia Tonin, lead author of the study, "with these genetic" tools "we will be able to study the type of tumor at an early stage of development, and also offer women alternative treatments, except operative intervention ".
According to health services, Canada has more than two thousand cases of ovarian cancer every year, 75% of sick women die within five years after diagnosis.
In this study, the attention of scientists was focused on serous ovarian cancer, from which almost 90% of patients die. Serous ovarian cancer accounts for approximately one-third of all epithelial ovarian tumors.
According to the WHO definition, serous cancer is an oncological disease, histogenetically related to the ovarian cover and reflecting the differentiation of tumor cells towards lining the uterine tube.
Almost all women diagnosed with "serous ovarian cancer" have mutations in the TP53 gene, which is also called the "guardian of the genome". He is responsible for the production of the p53 protein, which is the determining factor in the development of various types of tumors and is expressed in all cells of the body. Violation of the normal functioning of this protein leads to the development of ovarian cancer of high degree of malignancy.
This is confirmed by the fact that the loss of function of this protein is established in almost 50% of cases of human malignant tumors.
The scientists concluded that the existing genetic differences between the two types of serous ovarian cancer can be associated with the TP53 gene, the mutations in which account for this difference.
"This unique discovery extends our ability to identify factors involved in the progression of cancer. The development of alternative methods of treatment will help reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality in women. "
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