Preventing ovarian cancer

New preventative strategies for ovarian cancer could be found after research by the Department of Women’s Cancer at UCL discovered early changes in the cells of the fallopian tubes of women carrying the BRCA genetic mutation. 

A team led by Professor Martin Widschwendter and funded by The Eve Appeal, sought to understand why women with the BRCA1/2 mutations develop ovarian cancers and what happens in the cells where the cancers originate to trigger them.

The research could reduce the need for invasive surgery.

Professor Widschwendter and his team are now further investigating their findings including examining whether they could also benefit women who do not have a pre-disposing genetic mutation.

" At present the most effective method of prevention is drastic risk-reducing surgery which deprives women of their hormones and their ability to give birth prior to the menopause. The next steps will be to investigate the merit of drugs that affect epigenetic reprogramming and to look for biomarkers which allow safe monitoring of the effect of such drugs.” Professor Widschwendter, UCL Institute for Women’s Health.

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