Chemo-Surviving Ovarian Cancer Cells Release Fructose, Driving 90% Deadly Metastasis
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Aug 4
Chemo-Surviving Ovarian Cancer Cells Release Fructose, Driving 90% Deadly Metastasis
3 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Aug 4
Summary
Wistar researchers found ovarian cancer cells that survive platinum chemotherapy can stop dividing yet still trigger spread by releasing fructose into the tumor environment.
Preclinical models showed the secreted molecules alone—not the surviving cells themselves—made nearby tumor cells detach and disseminate, identifying fructose as the key signal.
CRISPR and other analyses linked that signal to suppressed cholesterol production in neighboring cells, weakening the membrane structure and cell-to-cell adhesion that normally keep tumors intact.
High-fructose exposure comparable to sugary-drink levels also promoted spread without chemotherapy, while statins produced a similar adhesion-weakening effect in models, raising questions for patients already taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Metastasis causes about 90% of ovarian cancer deaths, and the team is now testing whether the same fructose-driven mechanism also applies to pancreatic, colon and liver cancers.