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Multicellular spheroids in ovarian cancer metastases: Biology and pathology
journal contribution
posted on 2009-04-01, 00:00 authored by Kristy Shield, Leigh AcklandLeigh Ackland, N Ahmed, G RiceEpithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has a relatively high mortality rate (~55%). One of the presiding causes is that the current chemotherapeutic regimes are unable to achieve sustained remission, despite frequently producing a positive response at first treatment. One of the reasons that EOC is difficult to treat is that the mechanism of dissemination is unusual. EOC dissemination characteristically involves local invasion of pelvic and abdominal organs. Unlike many epithelial cancers, initial dissemination rarely requires the vasculature, although the vasculature is often implicated in the advanced stages of disease. Recently, it has become apparent that aggregates of malignant cells (spheroids) contained within malignant ascites represent a significant impediment to efficacious treatment of late stage EOC. In vivo, spheroids are present in the malignant ascites of EOC patients, while in vitro cultured spheroids are capable of tumorgenesis in vivo and display a reduced response to chemotherapeutic drugs when compared to monolayers. A major problem associated with the current generation of chemotherapy agents is that they do not address the anchorage and vascular-independent growth conditions associated with a 3-dimensional structure that has formed and/or grown in suspension. Thus, spheroid formation may represent a key component of platinum/taxanesensitive recurrence. If this is correct, a better understanding of spheroid biology may contribute to the identification of new treatment opportunities for the sustained treatment of metastatic EOC. This review article outlines the key biological features of spheroids, specifically discussing their role in EOC dissemination and chemo-response as well as providing insights into spheroid functionality.
History
Journal
Gynecologic oncologyVolume
113Issue
1Pagination
143 - 148Publisher
Academic PressLocation
San Diego, Calif.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1095-6859eISSN
0090-8258Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2008, ElsevierUsage metrics
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