Women with ovarian cancer commonly have a genetic change in their blood cells called clonal hematopoiesis (CH).  Individuals with ovarian cancer who have CH have worse survival than those without CH; however, the reason for this is unclear.

In this study, the research team will explore how CH affects the clinical course and tumour biology of high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients. This will tell us whether patients with CH are at higher risk of treatment-related side effects or complications, or whether the altered immune cells cause tumours to grow faster or resist treatment. Taken together, this will create a foundation to use CH as a biomarker of risk or need for novel therapies. Ultimately, it could lead to more personalized, safer, and effective treatment of ovarian cancer.

What is clonal hematopoiesis (CH)?

CH is a common, age-related change that occurs when a specific immune stem cell acquires genetic mutations that allow it to grow more than its counterparts, leading to a population of blood cells that share the same genetic alterations.