Ovarian Cancer: The Year in Review
New markers that could help earlier diagnosis
Like many other forms of cancer, ovarian cancer becomes much more dangerous and less treatable in its later stages. This is why it is so important for doctors to catch it early, and for patients to begin treatment very soon after receiving their diagnosis.
One new study has possibly given scientists a way to catch ovarian cancer developing years before it typically shows symptoms or becomes obvious to medical professionals. The main point of the study is that high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), the most frequent type of ovarian cancer diagnosed at advanced stages, could be linked back to mutated lesions in the fallopian tubes known as p53 signatures. Scientists can track p53 signatures by finding serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STICs) that harbor the TP53 gene mutations. Researchers found that those who had STICs developed ovarian cancer within 6.5 years of finding the STICs.
