UK scientists have shown how mistakes in a certain gene drive the early stages of aggressive ovarian cancers.
A team at Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute discovered that defects in the TP53 gene are present in nearly all women with high grade serous ovarian cancer, which is the most common type of the disease in the UK.
In light of their finding, which is published in the Journal of Pathology, the scientists say that faults in the TP53 gene are likely to be an important early stage in the development of many ovarian cancers.
The discovery could aid diagnosis of the disease and pave the way for new treatments.
Lead author Dr James Brenton, an ovarian cancer clinician at Addenbrooke's Hospital, said: 'Our findings help to explain the link between TP53 and aggressive ovarian cancer, showing how faults in this gene are a key step in the development of this disease.
'We now want to look at how we can target this fault with new treatments for aggressive ovarian cancers.'
There is currently no reliable test that would allow population-wide screening for ovarian cancer, but scientists are conducting clinical trials in an effort to find one.