An extensive genomic analysis of ovarian tumors from Black women suggests they have nearly identical mutations as other populations studied so far. The work was led by researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) and Emory University. It also revealed a few notable differences that may be clinically relevant.
This finding raises questions, since Black women have a 43% five-year overall survival rate for ovarian cancer, compared to 51% for all American women. It seems it’s not the genes.
The results of this study have been published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Jen Doherty, PhD, is co-principal investigator of the study and co-leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute.
“Prior characterizations, or analyses, of mutations in ovarian cancers were done in predominantly white populations,” said Lawson-Michod. “This project was unique in that it was the first large study to characterize tumor mutations in Black individuals with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.”
Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in its later stages due to a lack of clear symptoms. Over 12,000 women are estimated to have died from the disease in 2024.
This study included individuals between 20 to 79 years of age who had been diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the most common ovarian cancer.
The team compared the results of their research to those of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a National Cancer Institute-initiated landmark genomics database that characterized the genetic makeup of 33 cancer types. Most of the high-grade serous ovarian cancer samples analyzed in TCGA were from White individuals.
“The characterizations between these groups showed similar mutations. But Black individuals have a 43% five-year overall survival rate for ovarian cancer, compared to 51% for all American women,” said Doherty. “Our research shows that this discrepancy is unlikely to be explained by the genetic makeup of the tumors themselves.”
The research team did note a few key differences that might make a clinical difference.
In the analysis of Black individuals, KRAS mutations were more prevalent than in White individuals. KRAS is a mutated gene that causes cancer.
“KRAS did not show up as a significant mutation in the high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients from TCGA,” said Lawson-Michod. “However, just because KRAS may be more prevalent in Black individuals does not mean it is not present in all populations with this cancer type. If validated, this could be a missed treatment opportunity.”
Researchers also noted that Black women in the study had a higher prevalence of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). HRD prevents damaged cells from repairing themselves, and HRD tumors are sensitive to PARP inhibitors, a type of targeted therapy.
“HRD status is associated with better survival, but Black women have higher mortality rates from this disease than other women,” said Joellen Schildkraut, PhD, co-principal investigator of the study, member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and professor of epidemiology at Emory University. “This characterization of ovarian cancer in an understudied population such as this can hopefully impact clinical decision-making for all women with ovarian cancer and inform targeted treatment for this disease.”
