Improved treatment of ovarian cancer in prospect?

Vague and uncharacteristic symptoms of malignant ovarian cancer cause is often that the disease is only diagnosed very late. This leads to the fact that many people die from the disease. The results of a new study could create in the future perhaps remedy. They show that the spread of ovarian cancer can be prevented and the tumors reduced by removing some specific immune cells from the fat in the abdominal cavity.

In the current investigation of the University of Aarhus in Denmark, it was found that ovarian cancer can be effectively by a removal of specific immune cells to be treated. The results of the study were published in the English journal “the Journal of Experimental Medicine”.

Role of macrophages in ovarian cancer?

The mice study indicated that it seems to be possible to prevent the spread of ovarian cancer and reduce tumors. Some specific immune cells, called macrophages must be removed from the abdominal cavity stored fat (omen valley fat).

Ovarian cancer cells can secrete into the abdominal cavity

Ovarian cancer occurs most often in the fallopian tubes. The starting point for the research project the Knowledge about the cells of this kind, detachment of cancer and in the abdominal cavity can secrete was.

Cancer cells accumulate in the omentalen fat

Because this process occurs very early in the course of the disease, need to attach the detached cancer cells to a little to their viability. The omentale fat. in this case, a sort of host cells that would otherwise die off If the tumor cells can be stored in this fat, change two specific types of immune cells, their character. This way you start to support the disease.

What changes were observed?

One of the Macrophage type that is already in the tissue, begins to support the Tumor in the case of the further spread in the other organs of the abdominal cavity. At the same time, the second Macro-phage type that comes from the bloodstream and as a reaction to the Infiltration of tumor cells in the omentale fat is recruited, the attempt of the immune system to counteract, to fight the invasive cancer cells. In this way, you help to grow the Tumor.

Treatment inhibited spread and read shrink tumors

In the study experiment, the researchers segmented end first, with the removal of the already in the tissue found macrophages, what led them to the realization that this inhibits the spread of cancer in the abdominal cavity. However, the Tumor in the ormentalen fat was not small. As the researchers of the above-mentioned macrophages from the blood at a time, train away, was the result of both a lower spread as well as a shrinking Tumor.

Differences between normal and immune therapy

The new type of therapy differs from the typical immune therapy, which comprises a support, the T-cells to kill tumors. This Form of immune therapy has become an integral part of modern immunological treatment. The new treatment is also an immune therapy, this focuses on a different part of the immune system.

Further research is needed

The research result has an obvious potential for improved treatment of ovarian cancer in the future, however, with the important restriction that the Tests were so far performed only in mice. The next step is the development of a drug can be tested on people. The study leads to a deeper understanding of what helps the body in the development of ovarian cancer and what is affecting him. The results are also very interesting, because similar to the macrophages from the bloodstream also occur in models for skin cancer. (as)