How Ovarian Cancer Causes Death
Aug 14, 2009 | Posted by in Featured, Surgery | 0 Comments
New research into ovarian cancer from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions holds potential implications for women’s sexual health.
The healthcare research establishment has found that the body’s immune system may be unable to combat the formation of ovarian cancer, putting women’s sexual health at risk.
Researchers discovered that cancerous ovarian tissue secretes fluids known as ascites which are capable of combating the functionality of the immune system.
This suppression occurs as the fluids prevent T-cells from being activated, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions explains.
As such, the immune response from the body cannot begin as it is these T-cells which cause antibodies to be produced.
The effect is not always seen to be completely overpowering; however, the scientists report suppression in the range of ten to 100 per cent.
Such a discovery could shed light on why ovarian cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
More than seven in ten women diagnosed with the illness die within the subsequent five years, the researchers note.
A team including representatives of Weill Cornell Medical College recently studied the impact of pre-surgery radiation on pancreatic cancer patients.
They explained that, by causing shrinkage within cancerous tissue, radiation can permit tumours to be removed more fully without damaging surrounding blood vessels.