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A common type of sugar found in fruits, processed foods and sweetened drinks may help aggressive ovarian cancer cells spread, particularly after chemotherapy, according to a new study by researchers at The Wistar Institute.
The study, published in the journal Nature Aging, found that ovarian cancer cells surviving chemotherapy can release fructose, which acts as a chemical signal encouraging nearby cancer cells to spread.
The findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism through which cancer cells can promote tumour progression even after chemotherapy has stopped them from multiplying.
“Some cancer cells that survive chemotherapy aren’t dividing anymore, but they’re still biologically active,” said Aidan Cole, a postdoctoral fellow at The Wistar Institute and the study’s first author.
“Instead, they continue to release molecules that send signals to nearby cells. Our study is among the first to show that a nutrient — in this case, fructose — can act as one of those signals,” he said.
Ovarian cancer is commonly treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, which damages the DNA of cancer cells and prevents them from reproducing. Although many patients initially respond to treatment, the disease frequently returns.
The cancer also often spreads throughout the abdominal cavity, a process known as metastasis. Researchers estimate that metastasis is responsible for about 90 per cent of ovarian cancer deaths.
To investigate why cancer cells can continue promoting the disease after treatment, the researchers examined substances released by cells that survived chemotherapy.
They found that these substances could significantly increase cancer spread in preclinical experiments, even when the surviving cancer cells themselves were separated from the surrounding tumour cells.
According to Cole, the findings suggest that molecules released by chemotherapy-resistant cells, rather than the cells themselves, can play a direct role in driving cancer spread.
The researchers subsequently identified fructose as one of the key substances involved.
Fructose is naturally present in fruits and honey and is also found in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, a widely used sweetener in soft drinks and processed foods.
The study found that chemotherapy-surviving cancer cells could produce and release fructose into their surroundings. The sugar then acted as a messenger, encouraging neighbouring cancer cells to acquire characteristics associated with spreading.
Preclinical experiments also suggested that consuming high amounts of fructose, at levels comparable to those found in sugary drinks, could activate signals linked to cancer spread even without chemotherapy.
The researchers used several advanced techniques, including CRISPR screening, to investigate the biological processes through which fructose influences cancer cells.
The findings raise questions about whether dietary habits could influence ovarian cancer progression and whether reducing fructose consumption might help limit the spread of the disease.
However, researchers cautioned that the study does not establish that eating sugar causes ovarian cancer to spread in humans. The potential benefits of reducing dietary fructose have not yet been tested in clinical trials, and further research is needed before specific dietary recommendations can be made.
The discovery could eventually help researchers develop new strategies to prevent ovarian cancer recurrence and metastasis by targeting the chemical signals exchanged between cancer cells.