The influence of chronic, systemic inflammation in the progression of epithelial ovarian cancer

Epidemiological studies have described a link between chronic inflammatory conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, and EOC suggesting that systemic inflammation may increase the risk of the disease. The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of prolonged exposure to low-grade inflammation on EOC tumorigenicity. We hypothesized that exposure to this inflammation would accelerate ovarian tumor growth. In vitro, normal and transformed ovarian epithelial cells had limited responsiveness to inflammatory cytokines. In vivo, LPS-induced low-grade chronic systemic inflammation accelerated EOC progression primarily through enhanced angiogenesis. Evaluation of the relationships between chronic systemic inflammation and EOC may provide a role for anti-inflammatory treatment in combinational EOC therapies. Additionally, as the rate of metabolic disorders increases in the Western world the results from this work may facilitate the advancement of complimentary therapeutic interventions for other cancers that are influenced by inflammation.