A study out of the United Kingdom has identified a key gene signature in ovarian cancer that may be useful in predicting survival.
The HOX gene family is largely responsible for the rapid cell division seen in growing embryos. In most adults, this mechanism is not active, but prior research has shown that the genes can become active again in some cancer types, most notably ovarian cancer, where HOX genes help cancerous cells to proliferate and survive.
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In a study led by Richard Morgan, University of Bradford’s institute of Cancer Therapeutics, (Bradford, United Kingdom), researchers looked HOX expression in the tissue samples of 99 women with epithelial ovarian cancer and compared them with samples of healthy ovarian and fallopian tubes.
Results of the analysis revealed that there was little to no HOX expression observed in healthy ovarian tissue, but that 36 of the 39 HOX genes were overexpressed in the cancerous tissue. In addition, a strong five-gene signature was found in all the patients who died of the disease.
After further analysis, the researchers also found that overexpression of HOXB4 and HOXb9 were was present after the cancer developed a resistance to platinum-based regimens, leading them to suspect that targeting the genes with the HXR9 peptide could make cancer more susceptible to cisplatin-based regimens. They tested the theory in mice where it significantly increased the number of cancer cells killed; however, Zoe Kelly, a coauthor of the study, said that more extensive tests will be needed to provide clearer results.
Still, researchers concluded that the high expression of certain HOX genes could be predictive of poor clinical outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer and that targeting these mechanisms could represent a way to improve outcomes for patients.
"This is the first comprehensive analysis of HOX gene expression in ovarian cancer and the first study to analyze changes in HOX expression in resistant cancer cells,” said Professor Morgan in a press release. “The results strongly suggest that targeting these genes as a new treatment approach warrants further investigation. It also supports our belief that HXR9 should be further developed and tested in clinical trials."
