Sarah Nersesian explores how we can harness the power of our bodies’ immune cells, in particular natural killer cells, to combat ovarian cancer when it develops.
“My research supports that natural killer cells can influence the outcome of ovarian cancer patients – including their response to treatment and survival.”
@NersesianSarah
The past: “Classical” cancer therapies Classical cancer therapies include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. Unfortunately, these remain the sole therapeutic option for many individuals who receive a cancer diagnosis. In the latest release of the Canadian Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer incidence, it’s estimated that 2 in 5 of Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer […]
Ovarian cancer is uncommon. The lifetime risk of an individual with ovaries or fallopian tubes is about 1 in 80 (about 1.3%). In addition to being uncommon and generating little awareness compared to other cancer types, it’s notoriously hard to catch early. Therefore, knowing your baseline risk and being aware of symptoms is crucial. The […]
Bloating and abdominal pain are two very unspecific symptoms that happen to be the most common symptoms experienced by those with ovarian cancer. Unspecific symptoms like these contribute to why most patients are diagnosed at later stages when cancer has already spread. Alicia Tone and her collaborators recently published the Canadian edition of The Every […]
Note: This article was co-written by Sarah Nersesian and Morgan Pugh-Toole High-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC) are the most deadly “ovarian” tumours. Although they can develop with signs and symptoms, most are vague, like bloating. Therefore, most individuals diagnosed with HGSC are diagnosed when cancer has already spread through the body. Unfortunately, while other cancers are […]
Most ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with tumours spread throughout the abdomen (~70 per cent). Identifying the exact location of the first tumour without genetic tracing is challenging. For a long time, when tumours were found around the ovaries and looked epithelial under a microscope, they were assumed to be ovarian cancer. While there were […]
Nothing explains the immune system as eloquently as the anime show “Cells at Work!“. This Japanese anime anthropomorphizes cells and breaks down the interwoven complexities of the immune system into relatable characters with captivating story arcs. The immune cells are the protagonists composed of divisions stationed around the body, ready to defend it. The main […]
Cancer is so frequently associated with death it’s easy to forget that one of its main defining features is a relentless hunger for life. Cancer cells themselves are only one part of a tumour. In the secret life of cancer, the tumour is the kingdom where it rules from the shadows. Hidden cancer cells sloppily […]
