(Press-News.org) ROCHESTER, Minnesota — Early detection improves treatment outcomes for endometrial and ovarian cancers, yet far too often women are diagnosed in advanced stages of these diseases. Unlike many other cancers, there are no standard screenings for early detection of endometrial and ovarian cancers. The incidence rate for endometrial cancer is expected to rise, driven by environmental factors, obesity and diabetes.
Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D., and colleagues at Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine are on a mission to catch these cancers early.
Their research dives deep into the microbiome, a community of trillions of microorganisms — including bacteria, fungi and viruses — that influence health and disease. Through their investigations, they have uncovered specific microbial signatures linked to endometrial and ovarian cancers and are working toward developing innovative home swab tests for women to assess their susceptibility.
"Screening the microbiome for early detection may improve patient outcomes," says Dr. Walther-Antonio, also a researcher at the Departments of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The team discovered a cluster of 17 bacterial microbes associated with the presence of endometrial cancer, with a "lightning rod" in the group: Porphyromonas somerae.
To validate this connection, they drew parallels between Porphyromonas somerae and its closest relative, which is known to be linked to oral cancer. The team hypothesized that Porphyromonas somerae might play a similarly invasive role in endometrial cancer. After extensive testing, they confirmed the ability of this microbe to invade endometrial cells and alter their function, especially under estrogen exposure — a common risk factor for endometrial cancer.
In their research on ovarian cancer, the team found a distribution of microbes in the reproductive tract of women with the disease. They also revealed changes in the microbiome compositions that are correlated with patient treatment outcomes. These findings may open investigation avenues into applicability of these markers to detecting and predicting treatment response.
According to World Cancer Research Fund International, endometrial cancer ranks as the sixth most common cancer among women globally, with 417,367 new cases and 97,370 deaths reported in 2020. Ovarian cancer follows as the eighth most common, recording 313,959 new cases and 207,252 deaths in the same year.
The Mayo scientists are also collaborating with the Waitematā District Health Board officials on Pacific Islander and Māori populations in New Zealand, which has one of the highest incidences of endometrial cancer globally. Factors such as high obesity rates, a known risk factor, are a likely contributor, but the high incidence rates among younger women remain unresolved.
In the U.S., there is a long-term initiative designed to engage Black women, particularly those who are postmenopausal. "Black women don't have a higher incidence rate of endometrial cancer, but they have a higher mortality rate and morbidity rates. This is influenced by several factors, including limited access to healthcare. Symptoms frequently go unrecognized or are mistakenly attributed to other conditions, such as fibroids, which are common among Black women," Dr. Walther-Antonio says.
Through the long-term study, Mayo's scientists hope to engage participants to contribute samples every six months for three years, including vaginal swabs and environmental samples to identify potential risk factors.
Ultimately, Dr. Walther-Antonio and her team hope to use these microbiome signatures to predict and intervene in the development of cancer before it materializes.
Mayo Clinic has a financial interest in the swabs mentioned in this article.
###
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.
END
Mayo scientists developing at-home swab tests for endometrial, ovarian cancer
2024-05-30
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
UAB researchers uncover protein SRSF1’s uncommon ability to bind and unfold RNA G-quadruplexes
2024-05-30
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – RNA transcription is the genomic process in which a cell produces a duplicate of a gene’s DNA sequence.
In a study published in Nucleic Acids Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Chemistry Professor Jun Zhang, Ph.D., and his team reveal how the protein SRSF1 possesses the novel function of binding and unfolding complex RNA Guanine-quadruplexes.
Present in both DNA and RNA sequences, a G-quadruplex (GQ) is a structure of four guanine bases attached in a planar array. ...
New study reveals key protein that could help prevent excessive bone loss in osteoporosis
2024-05-30
Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by porous and fragile bones, poses a significant threat to skeletal health. As the very framework of the human body, bones provide crucial structural support. When bone mass diminishes, it not only compromises this support but also impairs overall function, leading to a diminished quality of life. With the aging population experiencing a surge in osteoporosis cases, the strain on healthcare resources for long-term care is evident. Hence, there is a need to understand the mechanisms that contribute to osteoporosis and develop effective targeted therapies ...
Testosterone therapy: A safe and effective gender-affirming hormone therapy for trans men
2024-05-30
Transgender individuals often face unique challenges in aligning their physical bodies with their true gender identity. Among the various methods employed, gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) stands as a vital means for transgender men to achieve physical changes in consonance with their gender identity. Navigating the complexities that come with gender transition, transgender individuals seek medical interventions to alleviate gender dysphoria and align their bodies with their gender identity.
For transgender men, testosterone therapy holds promise in inducing masculinizing effects such as increased muscle mass, cessation of ...
Statisticians call for rigour and transparency in the evaluation of diagnostic tests
2024-05-30
Recommendations designed to reframe the evaluation of in vitro diagnostic tests have been published today by the Royal Statistical Society in its Series A journal.
The report, which will be submitted to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, is intended to help prevent future scenarios in which IVDs are marketed widely, but later attract serious concerns about the standards applied to their evaluation.
The research was prompted by concerns about the standards applied to the evaluation of diagnostic tests during the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly lateral flow tests – however the recommendations cover all new tests, especially those ...
Musankwa sanyatiensis, a new dinosaur from Zimbabwe
2024-05-30
Fossils found on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe represent a completely new dinosaur species. This remarkable find, named Musankwa sanyatiensis, marks only the fourth dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe. The research detailing this significant discovery is set to be published in the prestigious journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. The study was conducted by an international team of scientists from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, Stony Brook University in New York and was led by Prof Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum ...
Statin therapy may prevent cancer by blocking inflammatory protein
2024-05-30
BOSTON – A new study led by investigators from Mass General Cancer Center, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, reveals that statins—commonly used cholesterol-lowering drugs—may block a particular pathway involved in the development of cancer that results from chronic inflammation. The findings are published in Nature Communications.
“Chronic inflammation is a major cause of cancer worldwide,” said senior author Shawn Demehri, MD, PhD, a principal investigator at the Center for Cancer Immunology and Cutaneous Biology Research Center of Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of Dermatology at ...
A novel ‘senolytic’ strategy for treating aging-related diseases
2024-05-30
The process of aging is accompanied by a decline in physiological functions, which can lead to cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic diseases. Aging of cells, also known as ‘cellular senescence’— is a process in which a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die. The accumulation of such ‘senescent’ cells in tissues is then known to contribute to age-associated diseases. Elimination of senescent cells or ‘senolysis’ can, therefore, serve as an effective therapeutic strategy for the improvement of physiological function and prevention ...
Risk of death from COVID-19 lessens, but infection still can cause issues 3 years later
2024-05-30
New findings on long COVID — long-term effects on health experienced by many who have had COVID-19 — present a good-news, bad-news situation, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care system.
The bad news: COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized within the first 30 days after infection face a 29% higher risk of death in the third year compared with people who have not had the virus. However, the three-year death risk still marks a significant decline compared with such risk at the one- and two-year marks post-infection. The findings also show that even people with mild COVID-19 were still ...
Combining simulations and experiments to get the best out of Fe3Al
2024-05-30
Osaka, Japan – The compound of iron and aluminum with the chemical formula Fe3Al has some very useful mechanical properties. A team from Osaka University has combined simulations with experimental techniques to better understand the kinetics of the formation of microstructures to enhance and utilize these properties and how to harness them for specific applications.
In a study recently published in Acta Materialia, the researchers took an in-depth look at the way the microstructure of Fe3Al develops because the ordered domains that form contribute to one of its key properties: superelasticity.
When high loads are applied to superelastic materials they ...
Both high performance and stability were achieved with multifunctional materials!
2024-05-30
Through joint research with Professor Chul-jin Ahn’s team at Changwon National University, the research team of Dr. Jae-Ho Kim and Dr. Myung-kwan Song from the Department of Energy & Electronic Materials in the Surface & Nano Materials Division has developed a 4-Amino-TEMPO derivative with photocatalytic properties and successfully used it to produce high-performance and stable fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs) and fiber-shaped organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs). The developed 4-Amino-TEMPO derivative has the characteristic of simultaneously improving the performance of both fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs) and fiber-shaped ...