Researchers have made a big breakthrough in understanding one of the deadliest types of ovarian cancer. Their discovery could help doctors find the disease earlier and treat it more successfully.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, focused on high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). This is the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer and is very hard to treat.
Ovarian cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, and most women who are diagnosed don’t survive beyond five years. One reason for this is that it often doesn’t show symptoms early on, and there’s no good test to catch it early.
For years, scientists thought this cancer might actually begin in the fallopian tubes, not the ovaries. But they didn’t know for sure—until now.
In this new study, led by Dr. Alexander Nikitin at Cornell University, researchers found that a special kind of cell in the fallopian tubes is likely where the cancer starts. These are called pre-ciliated tubal epithelial cells.
They are not stem cells, but they haven’t fully developed into mature cells either. Normally, these cells grow into ciliated cells, which help move eggs and fluids through the fallopian tubes.
Earlier research had focused on stem cells, but this study found that when key cancer-protecting genes—called tumor suppressors—were turned off in stem cells, the cells just died. However, when the same genes were turned off in the pre-ciliated cells, cancer began to grow.
To study this, the scientists used mice and turned off two important tumor suppressor genes—TP53 and RB1. These genes are often damaged in human cases of HGSC. In the mice, only the pre-ciliated cells with these genes turned off became cancerous. This clearly points to these cells as the source of the cancer.
This is a major step forward. Scientists already understand a lot about how these cells grow and develop. That makes it easier to find out when things go wrong and possibly stop cancer before it starts.
The team also found that a gene called Krt5 is very active in these pre-ciliated cells. When they turned off the TP53 and RB1 genes in cells with high Krt5 levels, the mice quickly developed aggressive ovarian cancer. This confirms that these cells are the key players.
This discovery could help in many ways. It may allow doctors to detect ovarian cancer earlier by looking for changes in these specific cells. It could also lead to new treatments that target how these cells grow. And it may help create better tests using genes like Krt5 to spot people at risk.
Even though the research was done in mice, the structure of the fallopian tubes is very similar in humans. This means the findings likely apply to people too. More research is needed using human tissue, but the discovery brings real hope.
Dr. Nikitin and his team believe this could one day lead to personalized treatments for women at high risk. It could save lives and improve the quality of life for many women.
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