How stress and aspirin affect ovarian cancer
Project 2: The impact of biobehavioral factors and aspirin on ovarian cancer biology
This project looks at whether chronic stress makes ovarian cancer more aggressive and whether taking low- or standard-dose aspirin can reduce that effect for people with ovarian cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr & Res Inst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11174426 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work combines information from long-term population cohorts, a population-based case-control study, and hospital patients who provided self-reported stress measures and tumor samples. Researchers will measure gene activity across whole high-grade serous tumor samples using RNA sequencing to capture inflammation and immune signals in the tumor environment. They will compare tumor biology and outcomes by reported distress levels and by aspirin use (low vs standard dose). Laboratory experiments will test how stress hormones and aspirin change tumor behavior to link the population findings to biological mechanisms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with epithelial ovarian cancer—particularly high-grade serous tumors—or individuals enrolled in the participating long-term cohorts or treated at participating hospitals who can provide clinical data or tumor samples.
Not a fit: People without ovarian cancer, those whose tumors are a different type than studied, or individuals who cannot take aspirin due to bleeding risk may not directly benefit from these findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could clarify whether aspirin can block stress-linked inflammation in ovarian tumors and point to ways to improve prevention or survival for people with ovarian cancer.
How similar studies have performed: Epidemiologic studies have suggested aspirin may lower ovarian cancer risk and improve survival, but directly linking aspirin to stress-driven tumor biology is a newer approach with limited prior mechanistic confirmation.
Where this research is happening
Tampa, United States
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr & Res Inst — Tampa, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Peres, Lauren Cole — H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr & Res Inst
- Study coordinator: Peres, Lauren Cole
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.