BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR AND OVARIAN-CANCER

The factor(s) which regulate the rapid growth of ovarian epithelial ca rcinoma, as well as other types of malignant tumors, art: still largel y unknown. Recently, experimental evidence indicated that neoplastic c ells are able to synthesize peptide growth factor and their receptors. This autocrine secretion could be one of the mechanisms to sustain th eir abnormal proliferation. In this study, we evaluated the possible r ole of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) that is a likely candidat e because it has both angiogenic and mitogenic activity and has been f ound in a variety of other neoplasms. As assessed by both bioassay and radioimmunoassay, a bFGF-like protein was present in seven ovarian ep ithelial neoplasms and in primary culture of dispersed ovarian cancer cells. Levels of this protein as well as its bioactivity varied in the different tumors examined. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain rea ction indicated that the genes for bFGF and its receptor are expressed in all the samples studied. These data suggest that bFGF might be one of the growth factor regulating ovarian cancer cell proliferation thr ough an autocrine mechanism. We are currently investigating whether th e expression of this growth factor varies as a function of the histolo gic grade of the tumors.