The omentum, a niche for premetastatic ovarian cancer

Abstract

The work by Etzerodt et al. in this issue of JEM (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20191869) identifies a distinct omentum-resident macrophage population of embryonic origin and demonstrates that these cells provide a niche for ovarian cancer metastasis and cancer stemness. This research opens up for many questions and therapeutic prospects.

Insights from Xiaojing Ma.

Ovarian cancer most frequently develops from the fallopian tube epithelium or ovarian surface epithelium. Tumor cells disseminate to the peritoneal cavity at early stages and most frequently colonize the omentum. Etzerodt et al. (2020) identify a subset of TRMs in omentum of embryonic origins that coexpress CD163 and Tim4. The study shows that these TRMs promote the malignant progression of OCCs and the acquisition of invasive properties in a paracrine manner leading to the metastatic spread of disease. The study further reveals that CD163⁺Tim4⁺ TRMs in omentum represent a critical premetastatic niche for OCCs and a potentially important therapeutic target to prevent disease progression. FALC, fat-associated lymphoid cluster. Adapted from Dr. T. Lawrence of King's College London.