The researchers studying a protein called km23, a protein that helps to direct protein cell traffic, have found that at least 42 percent of ovarian cancer patient tumor tissues have alterations in km23. No similar alterations in km23 were detectable in normal human tissues, suggesting that the protein may be both a diagnostic indicator for the development of ovarian cancer, and a possible target for cancer therapies.
“While only close to half of ovarian cancer patients may have defects in km23, our results are still highly significant because there is no clinically useful screening test available for detection of ovarian cancer,” said principal investigator Dr Kathleen Mulder, professor of pharmacology.
Additional studies are under way to continue the analyses of km23 abnormalities in specimens from women with ovarian cancer, and to determine whether different km23 alterations exist in other solid tumors, such as breast and colon cancer.
Epithelial ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and accounts for more than 16,000 deaths annually. Despite advances in surgical techniques and chemotherapy, overall survival rates for women with ovarian cancer have not improved significantly because of late detection, often after the disease has already spread to remote organs. The identification of a potential early warning signal and a possible therapeutic target for the disease could lead to improved survival rates.