RIVERSIDE – (INT) – A team of researchers from the UC Riverside and the University of Notre Dame is studying the molecular mechanisms by which ovarian cancer spreads—or metastasizes.

With 20,000 diagnoses each year, ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer and fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.

The researchers have identified a group of proteins called cadherins, which help cells bind together. Since these proteins enable cancer cells to anchor to new sites in the body, it may be possible to disrupt metastasis by blocking cadherin-mediated binding.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which ovarian cancer spreads—or metastasizes—can uncover new therapeutic opportunities.

Story Date: July 6, 2017