Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Rising to the Challenge at the GCI

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a time for raising awareness about one of the deadliest gynecological cancers. Ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it reaches advanced stages and can be highly resistant to existing treatments. This disease has a notable impact in Québec, as genes which can increase an individual’s risk for ovarian cancer are more prevalent in the French-Canadian population descended from 17^th century French immigrants to Québec. At the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI), researchers are dedicated to improving outcomes for ovarian cancer patients in Québec and beyond. Principal investigators Sidong Huang and Yojiro Yamanaka have published important studies addressing challenges in ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment.

In the Yamanaka lab at the GCI, research focuses on understanding the early development of epithelial cells and the female reproductive tract. By improving our understanding of these structures where ovarian cancer develops, they aim to develop innovative therapeutics and diagnostic techniques for the most common type of ovarian cancer: high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). In 2021, the Yamanaka lab published a study in the journal Cancer Research describing a novel strategy for modelling HGSOC in mice. These models used cutting edge technology to edit genes specifically in the reproductive tract, and allowed the researchers to observe how the disease develops and spreads. The findings and models will be crucial for further studies developing diagnostic criteria and novel therapies.

Research at the Huang lab aims to address therapy resistance and the challenges posed by hard-to-treat cancers, including a rare but lethal cancer called small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT). This form of ovarian cancer, which primarily affects young people, is difficult to treat because it is characterized by mutations that cause resistance to chemotherapies. However, findings published by the Huang lab in 2023 in the journal Nature Communications revealed multiple vulnerabilities of SCCOHT to other drugs. They found that the characteristic mutations caused ovarian cancer cells to have an altered metabolism and become highly sensitive to drugs and supplements targeting this metabolism. The study proposes many drug candidates and a dietary supplementation approach which could help treat patients affected by SCCOHT and other hard-to-treat cancers.

The work of researchers like Prof. Yamanaka and Prof. Huang not only advances our understanding of ovarian cancer but also brings hope for more effective diagnostics and treatments. Throughout Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the GCI will be reflecting on how our researchers rise to the challenges posed by this complex disease. By supporting and amplifying this research, together with our community, we can make a positive impact for those affected by ovarian cancer and find the #knowledgetocure.

Read the highlighted articles:

Tonin P.N., Mes-Masson A.M., Futreal P.A, et al. Founder BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in French Canadian breast and ovarian cancer families. Am J Hum Genet 63(5),1341-51 (1998) https://doi.org/10.1086/302099

Teng, K., Ford, M.J., Harwalker, K. el al. Modeling High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma Using a Combination of In Vivo Fallopian Tube Electroporation and CRISPR-Cas9–Mediated Genome Editing. Cancer Res 81(20),5147-5160 (2021).  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-1518

Zhu, X., Fu, Z., Chen, S.Y. et al. Alanine supplementation exploits glutamine dependency induced by SMARCA4/2-loss. Nat Commun 14, 2894 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38594-3