New studies show molecular make-up of ovarian cancer may determine speed of new tumor growth
When it comes to ovarian cancer, 60 percent of patients are diagnosed in stage III, meaning the cancer has already metastasized, or spread, throughout the pelvis. Additionally, between 70 and 90 percent of those patients will be diagnosed with recurrence and although recurrent ovarian cancer is treatable, it is rarely curable. These unfortunate results are partially due to the disease’s ability to spread cancer cells and therefore efficiently penetrate other organs. To better understand how metastatic ovarian cancer spreads, Notre Dame researchers at the Harper Cancer Research Institute (HCRI) are evaluating the impact of ovarian cancer cell molecular composition and how these cells work together to invade surrounding tissue.