{"228451":{"#nid":"228451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Evidence that Cancer Cells Change While Moving throughout Body","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the majority of cancer patients, it\u2019s not the primary tumor that is deadly, but the spread or \u201cmetastasis\u201d of cancer cells from the primary tumor to secondary locations throughout the body that is the problem. That\u2019s why a major focus of contemporary cancer research is how to stop or fight metastasis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrevious lab studies suggest that metastasizing cancer cells undergo a major molecular change when they leave the primary tumor \u2013 a process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). As the cells travel from one site to another, they pick up new characteristics. More importantly, they develop a resistance to chemotherapy that is effective on the primary tumor. But confirmation of the EMT process has only taken place in test tubes or in animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a new study, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ovarianresearch.com\/content\/6\/1\/49\/abstract\u0022\u003Epublished\u003C\/a\u003E in the Journal of Ovarian Research, Georgia Tech scientists have direct evidence that EMT takes place in humans, at least in ovarian cancer patients. The findings suggest that doctors should treat patients with a combination of drugs: those that kill cancer cells in primary tumors and drugs that target the unique characteristics of cancer cells spreading through the body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers looked at matching ovarian and abdominal cancerous tissues in seven patients. Pathologically, the cells looked exactly the same, implying that they simply fell off the primary tumor and spread to the secondary site with no changes. But on the molecular level, the cells were very different. Those in the metastatic site displayed genetic signatures consistent with EMT. The scientists didn\u2019t see the process take place, but they know it happened.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s like noticing that a piece of cake has gone missing from your kitchen and you turn to see your daughter with chocolate on her face,\u201d said John McDonald, director of Georgia Tech\u2019s Integrated Cancer Research Center and lead investigator on the project. \u201cYou didn\u2019t see her eat the cake, but the evidence is overwhelming. The gene expression patterns of the metastatic cancers displayed gene expression profiles that unambiguously identified them as having gone through EMT.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EMT process is an essential component of embryonic development and allows for reduced cell adhesiveness and increased cell movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Benedict Benigno, collaborating physician on the paper, CEO of the Ovarian Cancer Institute and director of gynecological oncology at Atlanta\u2019s Northside Hospital, \u201cThese results clearly indicate that metastasizing ovarian cancer cells are very different from those comprising the primary tumor and will likely require new types of chemotherapy if we are going to improve the outcome of these patients.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOvarian cancer is the most malignant of all gynecological cancers and responsible for more than 14,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. It often reveals no early symptoms and isn\u2019t typically diagnosed until after it spreads.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur team is hopeful that, because of the new findings, the substantial body of knowledge that has already been acquired on how to block EMT and reduce metastasis in experimental models may now begin to be applied to humans,\u201d said Georgia Tech graduate student Loukia Lili, co-author of the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ovarian cancer research indicates that cells undergo genetic changes while spreading."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2013-08-12 12:24:49","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:42","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"99761":{"id":"99761","type":"image","title":"John McDonald, co-director of the Ovarian Cancer I","body":null,"created":"1449178150","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:10","changed":"1475894715","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:15","alt":"John McDonald, co-director of the Ovarian Cancer I","file":{"fid":"193959","name":"tcp55643.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tcp55643_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tcp55643_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":39191,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tcp55643_0.jpg?itok=YEtwWbGK"}}},"media_ids":["99761"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ovarianresearch.com\/content\/6\/1\/49\/abstract","title":"Journal Article"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/","title":"College of Sciences"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Biology"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2371","name":"John McDonald"},{"id":"2372","name":"ovarian cancer"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}