Alexandra Snyder Charen, MD
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Researchr
Chemotherapy, Somatic Mutations, and Neoantigens in Ovarian Cancer
Immunotherapy is a new treatment that boosts a patient’s immune system to attack ovarian cancer cells. Dr. Synder Charen’s lab has already shown in melanoma that when a tumor has a large number of genetic abnormalities (mutations), the immune system can better “see” and attack the tumor cells. Ovarian cancer cells do not have as many mutations as melanoma cells, but undergoing chemotherapy can cause additional mutations in cancer cells. This study will address whether chemotherapy can cause changes in ovarian cancer cells that allow the immune system the ability to see and potentially attack the tumors. These results will guide future strategies for giving immunotherapy in more effective ways.