By studying for the first time the effects of chemotherapy on certain cells in the tumor microenvironment, a team from the Institut Curie and Inserm led by Dr Fatima Mechta-Grignolou has taken a step forward in understanding the mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer.
Major medical issues
Around 70% of ovarian cancers are called “high-grade serous” and have a severe prognosis. Optimizing treatments and developing new strategies therefore constitute major scientific and medical challenges.
A specific cell population
Scientists are today interested in a specific cell population: fibroblasts, heterogeneous cells present throughout the body in connective tissues (which ensure the cohesion of other tissues in the body).
Understand the role of the evolution of CAF
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) participate in the maintenance of the tumor microenvironment, considered an important driver in the development of the disease (for example by promoting the spread of metastases). Understanding the role of CAF evolution during disease and its treatment is therefore essential to find more effective therapeutic approaches against cancer.
Improve patient prognosis
Targeting residual harmful CAFs, in combination with chemotherapy, could improve the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer.
 Didier Galibert
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19/02/2024 | 
