[/caption]New targets for ovarian cancer treatment have been identified through the unraveling of how the ovarain cancer cells manipulate normal surrounding cells and turn them into tumor promoting cells. A team of researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine discovered that the cancer cells induce the normal cells and alter their production of three microRNAs. The three microRNAs affected are miR-31, miR-214, and miR-155. The cancer cells cause healthy fibroblasts to decrease the amount of miR-31 and miR-214 created and increase miR-155 production. These changes in microRNA levels cause an increase in expression of genes that are involved in the production of the chemical signals associated with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). "These CAFs pump out chemical signals telling cancer cells to multiply, invade healthy tissues, and travel to distant sites in the abdomen."-Medical News Today. The most highly upregulated chemical signal was CCL5 which is a key tumor-pormoting factor. The researchers showed that antibodies nuetralized the CCL5 signal and this stopped augmented grouth of normal ovarian structures. By reversing the microRNA signals the researchers were able to cause CAFs to revert to normal fibroblasts. This technique also disrupts the cancer's support system and prevents the cancer from evolving resistance to drugs.
This discovery by the University of Chicago Medicine and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine seems very promising and could possibly be a breakthough in cancer treatment. "Therapeutic approaches targeting microRNAs in cancer cells are under development," added Peter. "Our work suggests that it might be possible to modify microRNA expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts for therapeutic benefit." from Northwestern University. I think these newley discovered targets are the future of how ovarian cancer is treated and hopefully the survival rate of this cancer will be improved.
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