Role of ARID1A in endometrial proliferation, endometriosis and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer pathogenesis

卵巢癌是女性癌症死亡的主要原因之一。卵巢癌有四种主要类型。透明细胞型和子宫内膜样型卵巢癌与一种称为子宫内膜异位症的疾病有关。后者是盆腔疼痛和不孕症的常见原因。尤其是透明细胞癌，当它扩散时很难治疗，因为目前可用的化疗方法并不有效。最近的研究发现了一种名为ARID1A的基因，它似乎在这两种类型的卵巢癌中发挥了作用。具体地说，该基因的突变在大约三分之一的子宫内膜样癌和一半的透明细胞癌以及子宫内膜异位症中被发现。这项研究项目旨在找出ARID1A突变是如何导致癌症的。这将包括测试突变对培养皿中培养细胞的生长和激素控制的影响。它还将涉及在具有这种基因突变的小鼠身上进行实验。如果我们能够更好地了解这种突变是如何导致癌症的，那么我们就能够设计出更好的治疗方法，让这些患者活得更长或症状更少。

Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer in women. There are 4 major types of ovarian cancer. The clear-cell and endometrioid types of ovarian cancer are related to a condition called endometriosis. The latter is a common cause of pelvic pain and infertility. Clear-cell cancer in particular, is very difficult to treat when it has spread because currently available chemotherapies are not effective. Recent research has identified a gene, called ARID1A, which appears to play a role in these two types of ovarian cancer. Specifically, mutations of this gene are found in approximately a third of endometrioid cancers and a half of clear cell cancers as well as in endometriosis. This research project aims to find out how mutations in ARID1A cause cancer. This will involve testing the effects of the mutation on growth and hormonal control in cells cultured in a petri dish. It will also involve experiments in mice that have this gene mutation. If we are able to understand better how this mutation causes cancer, then we will be able to design better treatments that will allow these patients to live longer or have less symptoms.