Gynecologic Cancer Research Area

In our country more than 12,000 patients are diagnosed with gynecological cancer each year, which represents slightly more than 10% of all cases of new cancer diagnoses in women.

Of these, ovarian cancer is the gynecological tumor that causes the most deaths per year in our country, with more than 2,000 cases, and is the 5th leading cause of death from cancer in women. Therefore, despite recent advances in surgery and systemic therapy, ovarian cancer as a whole represents an unmet medical need that requires an intense research effort.

International research efforts to change the natural history of ovarian cancer are focused on the molecular characterization of the different subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer in order to identify new treatment targets; on the identification of clinical and molecular factors predictive of the outcome of surgery and of resistance to initial platinum-based treatment; in the development of biomarkers predictive of response and resistance to targeted therapies, including, but not limited to, anti-angiogenic therapy and PARP inhibitors; and in the integration of immunotherapy, alone or in combination with other targeted therapies, and identification of factors predictive of response and resistance.

Lines of research in the area

  • Molecular and immunological characterization of the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer.
  • Identification of predictive biomarkers of response and resistance to targeted therapy and immunotherapy in ovarian cancer.
  • Pre-operative precision diagnosis by imaging in ovarian cancer.

Research activity of the
Gynecologic Cancer Research Area

Departaments:

  • Translational Oncology Group

Principal Investigator:

  • Antonio González-Martín

Co-Principal Investigator:

  • Beatriz Tavira Iglesias

Objectives

  • To identify changes in the immune cell population and expression of immunomodulatory molecules after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab.
  • To study the differences in the changes in the population of immune cells and immunomodulatory molecules in patients treated with or without bevacizumab.
  • To study the correlation of these changes with the prognosis of patients measured as progression-free survival.

Departaments:

  • Translational Oncology Group

Principal investigator:

  • Antonio González-Martín

Co-Principal Investigator:

  • Beatriz Tavira Iglesias

Objectives

  • Development and optimization of a murine model of advanced stage ovarian cancer (peritoneal dissemination).
  • Generation of a murine model refractory to PARP inhibitor therapy.
  • Molecular characterization of PARP inhibitor resistance mechanisms and validation of the results obtained in patient samples.

Departaments:

  • Translational Oncology Group

Principal investigator:

  • Antonio González-Martín

Co-Principal Investigator:

  • Beatriz Tavira Iglesias

Objectives

  • Study of tumor microenvironment by multiple fluorescence immunohistochemistry in samples from patients with ovarian cancer and correlation with clinical response (Vectra Polaris).

  • Multiple analysis of circulating cytokines in serum samples of patients with response to immunotherapy (Luminex).

  • Transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) and correlation with immunotherapy response.

  • Characterization and creation of genomic and immunological profiles of response to immunotherapy.

Departaments:

  • Translational Oncology Group

Principal Investigator:

  • Antonio González-Martín

Co-Principal Investigator:

  • Beatriz Tavira Iglesias

Objectives

  • Study of synergy mechanisms between PARP inhibitors and immunotherapy in syngeneic murine models.
  • Analysis of the effect of combination therapy on survival.
  • Analysis of immune cell populations after monotherapy and combination therapy.

Departaments:

  • Gynecology and Obstetrics Department

Principal Investigator:

  • Juan Luis Alcázar

Objectives

  • Main objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of CA-125 and HE-A tumor markers and transvaginal ultrasound performed by an expert examiner in the differential diagnosis of indeterminate adnexal masses after applying "Simple Rules" in conventional Doppler ultrasound.

  • Secondary objective: To perform a cost-efficiency analysis of three possible triage strategies for indeterminate adnexal masses after applying "Simple Rules" in conventional Doppler ultrasound based on magnetic resonance imaging, tumor markers or transvaginal ultrasound performed by an expert examiner.

Departaments:

  • Gynecology and Obstetrics Department

Principal Investigator:

  • Luis Chiva

Objectives

  • Primary objective: To evaluate the predictive ability of preoperative PCI calculated on PET/CT to predict complete cytoreduction in advanced ovarian cancer surgery.
  • Secondary objective: To compare PET/CT findings and PCI with surgery and with CT (when CT was also performed preoperatively). To evaluate the association of functional parameters and PET/CT findings with complete cytoreduction.

Scientific publications of the Gynecologic Cancer Research Area

Latest scientific publications

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