Ovarian cancer is often called a silent killer because it usually goes unnoticed until it has already spread. By the time doctors diagnose the disease, about 70% of patients already have secondary tumors growing in the abdomen.
These new tumors often appear in a part of the body called the omentum. The omentum is a fatty tissue that lies in front of the intestines. It helps protect the body and supports the immune system.
One important question doctors face is whether removing just the visible tumors is enough or if they should also remove the entire omentum to stop the cancer from coming back. Dr. Francis Jacob from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel wanted to explore this question.
In a recent study, Dr. Jacob and Professor Viola Heinzelmann-Schwarz worked with a team of scientists to look closely at the cells inside the omentum. They studied 36 tissue samples taken from 15 patients.
Some of these patients had ovarian cancer that had already spread to the omentum, while others had different types of cancer and no tumors in the omentum. The goal was to compare the cell makeup of a healthy omentum with one affected by cancer. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
In the healthy samples, the researchers found that the same types of cells were evenly spread across all parts of the omentum. These included surface cells, stem cells, and immune memory cells. This balanced mix helps the omentum stay healthy and do its job.
In the samples from ovarian cancer patients, however, things looked very different. The researchers found more immune cells, especially the kinds that actually weaken the immune system and allow cancer cells to grow without being attacked.
At the same time, there were fewer surface and stem cells in these tissues. It’s possible that these helpful cells were turning into other cell types that help the cancer grow and spread.
Dr. Jacob explained that even parts of the omentum that looked healthy had already started to change because of the cancer. In some cases, they even found small numbers of cancer cells hiding in these areas.
It seems that once the cancer spreads to the omentum, it takes over the entire tissue and changes how it works. This may weaken the omentum’s ability to repair itself and support the immune system.
This discovery could lead to changes in how doctors treat advanced ovarian cancer. If even the healthy-looking parts of the omentum are already affected, it might be helpful to remove more of the tissue during surgery.
Doing so could lower the chance of the cancer coming back. However, Dr. Jacob said that more research is needed. A follow-up clinical study would need to confirm whether this approach really improves the long-term outcome for patients.
In summary, this study shows that ovarian cancer can change the omentum even before it appears visibly damaged. This suggests that more extensive surgery may be worth considering to help prevent cancer from returning. Still, more evidence is needed to know for sure if this method leads to better results for patients.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that artificial sweeteners are linked to higher cancer risk, and how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer.
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