Ovarian Cancer Program

Our program is trying to understand the relationship between chemotherapy, cancer stem cell mediated relapse and development of chemoresistance in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. High grade serous ovarian cancers are the most lethal gynecological malignancy worldwide despite being only the fifth common gynecological malignancy. Due to absence of effective screening tests, more than 80% of HGSOC present in advanced stage with extensive peritoneal dissemination. As a result, surgical clearance of all cancer affected tissues is impossible even today, and chemotherapy plays an important role in management of advanced cancers. Despite several therapeutic advances, the overall five year survival in advanced disease is dismal and has largely remained unchanged in last few decades. Cancer stem cells have been shown to be responsible for relapse and chemoresistance in many malignancies, including HGSOC. Our research is trying to understand how chemotherapy influences cancer stem cell mediated relapse in advanced HGSOC. We are also interested in understanding the interaction between ovarian cancer stem cells (CSCs) with peritoneal tissue and how the interaction shapes the behaviour of both the tissues.