Foto: National Cancer Institute
To improve cancer treatment, it is important to understand how tumors form. Researcher Phyllis van der Ploeg has conducted research at the Catharina Hospital into the processes behind the development of ovarian cancer. A form of cancer whose survival chances have barely improved over the past thirty years.
With the results of her research, a new study was recently started to better select women in advance for targeted treatment. In such a treatment, specific molecular characteristics of a tumor are addressed. Instead of chemotherapy or radiation, which also affect the body’s healthy cells, targeted treatments target specific molecular pathways involved in the formation and behavior of cancer cells. And it is precisely these molecular pathways that Van der Ploeg has studied.
Uncontrolled cell growth
All cells in the body are controlled by chains of protein reactions, which, among other things, ensure cell division. When a ‘mistake’ occurs in one of these chains – a so-called pathway – this causes uncontrolled cell growth and eventually a tumor can develop. “We used a new technique to look for disrupted protein chains in ovarian cancer. Compare it to the engine of a car. If a hose is not connected, the motor will run aground, but you must know which hose that is. I also looked at the tumors in great detail,” explains Van der Ploeg.
“With the recently started follow-up study, we want to use targeted medication to create a ‘block’ in the protein chain, so that the growth of the tumor stops. This ‘blockage’ can be different for every patient. With the results of my research, we think we have found a better way to treat women with medication in a targeted way. By selecting well in advance, women are immediately treated with a suitable medicine and are less often exposed to unnecessary side effects.”
Heavy handling
The latter is especially important, because the treatment process for women with ovarian cancer is difficult. Van der Ploeg: “Patients receive chemotherapy and undergo major surgery to remove the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes.”
With the new study – the so-called STAPOVER study – researchers hope to improve patients’ chances of survival without compromising quality of life.
Silent woman killer
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers a woman can get. The disease is not called the ‘silent killer of women’ for nothing. The ovaries and fallopian tubes lie deep in the abdominal cavity. Cancer cells can grow quickly there without affecting a woman. Van der Ploeg: “In the early stages, the tumor often does not press against other organs. The complaints usually arise when the cancer has already spread to the abdominal cavity.”
The 5-year survival rate of women with ovarian cancer is around 38%; in the 1990s, survival was around 33 percent. Of the 1,400 women diagnosed each year, 1,100 die from this disease each year. Ten years after diagnosis, only about 30% of patients are still alive.
Source: Catharina Hospital press release