Paclitaxel-Induced Src Activation Is Inhibited by Dasatinib Treatment, Independently of Cancer Stem Cell Properties, in a Mouse Model of Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Approximately seventy percent of ovarian cancer patients succumb to the disease within the first 5 years of diagnosis, even after successful surgery and effective chemotherapy treatment. A small subset of chemotherapy resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) cause relapse of ovarian cancers. This study investigated the association between paclitaxel-mediated Src activation (p-Src) and CSC populations in driving ovarian cancer progression. We demonstrate that patients with high-stage serous ovarian carcinomas have significantly elevated levels of p-Src, compared to patient with low-stage and benign ovarian tumours. Additionally, p-Src was significantly enhanced in ascites-derived tumour cells obtai..