New Potential Target Identified in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2018
A team of researchers has identified a potential new target for the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer, as discussed in detail in a study published in Oncogene. Andras Ladanyi, MD, of the University of Chicago, and colleagues found that when ovarian cancer cells are co-cultured with primary human omental adipocytes, they express high levels of the fatty acid receptor, CD36, in the plasma membrane. This overexpression allows the uptake of fatty acids from visceral adipocytes by the tumor cells, which is essential for tumor growth.
“Targeting the stromal-tumour metabolic interface via CD36 inhibition may prove to be an effective treatment strategy against [ovarian cancer] metastasis,” concluded the research team.
The investigators discovered that depriving ovarian cancer cells of adipocyte-derived fatty acids using CD36 inhibitors prevented development of the adipocyte-induced malignant phenotype. They also observed that the absence of CD36 affected cellular processes that play a role in peritoneal dissemination, including adhesion, invasion, and migration.
Tumor growth on the omentum, an adipocyte-rich abdominal layer that is covered by the peritoneum, is often rapid and clinically silent and a hallmark of advanced-stage ovarian cancer. These study results indicate that omental adipocytes reprogram tumor metabolism through the upregulation of CD36 in ovarian cancer cells.
