Molecular Changes in Ovaries May Be Cancer Warning

A study has found that certain cellular and molecular changes in the ovaries might provide the warning signs needed for early detection of ovarian cancer. The findings were published in the April 2004 issue of Gynecologic Oncology.

"Our study suggests that the ‘normal' ovaries of women with ovarian cancer have not only structural changes but also molecular changes that are less frequently found in the ovaries of healthy women,” said senior author Enrique Hernandez, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Temple University's School of Medicine (Philadelphia, PA, USA). The changes occurred in the cells of the ovary lining, and the molecular changes involved higher levels of Bcl-2, a protein that prevents cell death.

The researchers plan to conduct further testing to make sure the changes observed in the study are not the result of inflammation or injury to the ovary. They would also like to test for other molecular markers, like Bcl-2, that could also indicate an increased risk of ovarian cancer. "If we are able to identify early changes along the path by which a normal ovarian cell turns into a cancerous ovarian cell, we might be able to develop a test to detect the disease earlier, even before it becomes cancerous,” added Dr. Hernandez.





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