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Ovarian cancer cells hijack surrounding tissues to enhance tumor growth

2012-09-04
(Press-News.org) Tumor growth is dependent on interactions between cancer cells and adjacent normal tissue, or stroma. Stromal cells can stimulate the growth of tumor cells; however it is unclear if tumor cells can influence the stroma. In the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center report that ovarian cancer cells activate the HOXA9 gene to compel stromal cells to create an environment that supports tumor growth.

Honami Naora and colleagues found that expression of HOXA9 was correlated with poor outcomes in cancer patients and in mice with ovarian tumors. The expression of HOXA9 in ovarian cancer cells caused the cells to produce a protein called TGF-β. TGF-β then induced the surrounding non-cancerous cells to create an environment that supports the tumor. Blocking TGF-β expression in the ovarian cancer cells significantly reduced tumor growth. These findings raise the possibility that drugs targeting TGF-β could be used to treat ovarian cancer.

###TITLE:

HOXA9 promotes ovarian cancer growth by stimulating cancer-associated fibroblasts

AUTHOR CONTACT:

Honami Naora

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Phone: 713-563-4222; E-mail: hnaora@mdanderson.org


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2012-09-04
Ovarian cancer cells hijack surrounding tissues to enhance tumor growth Tumor growth is dependent on interactions between cancer cells and adjacent normal tissue, or stroma. Stromal cells can stimulate the growth of tumor cells; however it is unclear if tumor cells can influence the stroma. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center report that ovarian cancer cells activate the HOXA9 gene to compel stromal cells to create an environment that supports tumor growth. Honami Naora and colleagues found that expression ...

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An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a way to combine the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion that produces substantially more electrical current than has been reported by previous "biohybrid" solar cells. The research was reported online on Sep. 4 in the journal Advanced Materials and Vanderbilt has applied for a patent on the combination. "This combination produces current levels almost 1,000 times higher than we were ...

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2012-09-04
Vienna, Austria: Sleep apnoea severity has been associated with increased cancer mortality in a new study. The research, which will be presented today (Tuesday 4 September 2012) at the European Respiratory Society's (ERS) Annual Congress in Vienna, adds to evidence presented earlier this year highlighting a link between severe sleep apnoea and cancer. Two further studies presented at the ERS Congress, also show evidence suggesting an increase in cancer incidence among sleep apnoea patients and an association between the spread of cancer and sleep apnoea. In the first ...

Smoking and natural disasters: Christchurch residents increase tobacco consumption post-earthquake

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[Press-News.org] Ovarian cancer cells hijack surrounding tissues to enhance tumor growth