The Lgr5 molecule has been identified as a biomarker in ovarian stem cells and can be used in the early detection of ovarian cancer.

The primary challenges in the fight against ovarian cancers have been in the realm of detection. Ovarian cancers are typically very difficult to detect early due to there being no early stage diagnostics available. As a result, many patients do not receive a diagnosis until the disease is in its later stages, making is much for difficult to treat.

But as a recent article in Medical Daily reports, new research published in Nature Cell Biology shows new insights into early detection and customized treatments of ovarian cancer. Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and the Bioinformatics Institute (BII) have identified a biomarker in ovarian stem cells. It is a molecule called Lgr5 and scientist believe that it can be used in the early detection of ovarian cancers.

These findings may also lead to more customizable treatment. At present, there are over 30 known types of ovarian cancers that affect women, with HG-SOC being the most common of serous ovarian carcinoma. Because of the lack of biomarkers that could lead to early detection, these cancers were often not diagnosed until their later stages, leading to very poor survival rates. Bioinformatic analysis on genomics data has allowed scientists to identify a group of genes and their mutational status. These could be used for the prognosis of HG-SOC as well as the development of custom treatments for patients.

At present, the situation with ovarian cancer is still quite dire with over 20,000 American women expected to receive a diagnosis in 2014 alone. However, scientists are hopeful that these recent breakthroughs with start speeding up to the rate of detection, and allow doctors to devise individualized treatment that addresses the various diverse incarnations of the disease.

Read more at Medical Daily.