Understanding How Ovarian Cancer Spreads

Research has shown that ovarian cancer cells rarely spread through the body via the lymph system but rather that the cells slough off the surface of the ovaries or the fallopian tubes. Then the cells float in the fluid of the abdomen know as ascites which provides nutrients to the cells until they settle and attach themselves on another organ in the abdomen. Understanding how this happens has been the focus of recent studies by the researchers at the Harper Cancer Research Institute ( a partnership between the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University School of Medicine- South Bend).

They found that a"Wnt signaling" pathway is improperly turned on in ovarian cancer cells. The proteins allow the ovarian cancer cells to make the changes to survive in the abdomen. "Wnt signaling" has been shown to play a role in the spread of colon cancer.

The article "Researchers Exploring Important New Insight Into Ovarian Cancer contains additional information. Original research article can be found in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Dee

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