New clues could lead to early detection, better treatment of ovarian cancer

SINGAPORE: Scientists at A*STARs Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and the Bioinformatics Institute (BII) have found new clues that could lead to the early detection and more personalised treatment of ovarian cancer.

IMB scientists have successfully identified a biomarker of ovarian stem cells, which may allow for earlier detection of ovarian cancer and thus allow treatment at an early stage of the illness, A*STAR announced on Friday (Aug 8).

The illness is one of the three predominant cancers that affect women, along with breast and womb cancer. Of the three, ovarian cancer is of the greatest concern as it is usually diagnosed only at an advanced stage due to the absence of clear early warning symptoms unique to the illness, the agency said. Successful treatment is difficult at this late stage, resulting in high mortality rates.

Ovarian cancer has increased in prevalence in Singapore as well as other developed countries recently, and is now the fifth most common cancer in Singapore among women, with about 280 cases diagnosed annually and 90 deaths per year, according to a Singapore Cancer Registry study.

KEY BIOMARKER LOCATED

The IMB team has identified a molecule, known as Lgr5, on a subset of cells in the tissue covering the ovary. Lgr5 has been previously used to identify stem cells in other tissues including the intestine and stomach, but this is the first time that scientists have successfully located this biomarker in the ovary.

Using Lgr5 as a biomarker of ovarian stem cells, ovarian cancer can potentially be detected earlier, allowing for more effective treatment at an early stage of the illness.

The Senior Principal Investigator of the project,Professor Nicholas Barker, said: Researchers have been intensively looking for markers of ovary stem cells for decades, and the identification of Lgr5 as a specific marker of these cells represents a major breakthrough in this field. We can now rigorously investigate whether these stem cells are the origin of human ovarian cancer, and if so, how to target and eradicate them.

"This finding has paved the way for the development of cancer therapeutics in the future.

TARGETED TREATMENT

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New clues could lead to early detection, better treatment of ovarian cancer