New study: Uncover the molecular mechanisms by which ovarian cancer cells adapt to their surroundings to promote tumor growth

Ovarian cancer is the fifth-largest cause of cancer-related death in the female population, said researcher Professor Eva Schmelz.
researchers found that a cell's internal structure called mitochondrials (the energy factory of cells) may change its shape and function to adapt to harmful environments in the body's abdominal cavity, which can promote the growth and progress of malignant cancer cells.
Ovarian cancer usually originates from cancerous cells in the fallopian tubes, and cancer cells that fall off cancerous clots spread through fluid from the abdomen to the body's abdominal cavity, at which stage the patient's survival rate is only 30%, even if the original tumor is removed;
researcher Schmelz stressed that if we can understand how ovarian cancer cells survive in celiac fluid as they spread throughout the abdominal cavity, we may be able to develop special therapies and interventions to inhibit the growth and progression of cells in the original tumor.
Previous studies have shown that cell metabolism changes as ovarian cancer progresses, so researchers wanted to see if any structural differences could be detected by gaining a deeper understanding of the internal changes in the cells;
the study, researchers used a variety of microscope techniques to observe 2-D images and 3-D model structures of mitochondrials to identify and measure their fine structure at different stages of cancer.
Researcher Schmelz said that as ovarian cancer progresses, mitochondrials change from a silky network structure to a highly divisive form in which mitochondrials function with this division and known changes, and they reveal how cancer cells adapt to low-nutrition and low-oxygen environments, a mechanism that allows cancer cells to escape the most commonly used treatments in ovarian cancer patients, thereby promoting the proliferation of cancer cells.
may help researchers develop new treatments for ovarian cancer.
The researchers say more in-depth research is needed later to identify how changes in cancer cells are regulated by independent special cell signaling path paths, revealing new therapeutic targets and helping to develop new therapies that limit the activity and spread of ovarian cancer cells.
original source: Joseph P. Grieco, Mitchell E. Allen, Justin B. Perry, et al. Progression-Mediated Changes in Mitochondrial Morphology Promotes Adaptation to Hypoxic Peritoneal Conditions in Serous Ovarian Cancer,Front. Oncol., 13 January 2021 doi：10.3389/fonc.2020.600113