NEW HAVEN, Conn., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Yale University Medical School scientists say they've discovered the disarming of certain specialized stem cells might combat deadly ovarian cancer.
Assistant Professor Yingqun Huang, who led the research, said eliminating cancer stem cells within a tumor might hold the key to successful treatments for ovarian cancer.
"We found that stopping the expression of two genes -- Lin28 and Oct4 -- reduces ovarian cancer cell growth and survival," Huang said.
The researchers said ovarian cancer has been challenging to treat because it tends to recur frequently and develop resistance to treatment.
"This recurrence and drug resistance may be due to the presence of (cancer stem cells) within the tumors that have the capacity to reproduce and to differentiate into non-CSC tumor cells that repopulate the tumor mass," Huang said. "Eliminating these CSCs may be key to successful treatments."
The study, which included Nita Maihle and Shuping Peng, is reported in the journal Oncogene.
