Racial Differences in Vaginal Fluid Metabolites and Association with Systemic Inflammation Markers among Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT: The vaginal microbiome differs by race and contributes to inflammation by directly producing or consuming metabolites or by indirectly inducing host immune response, but its potential contributions to ovarian cancer (OC) disparities remain unclear. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, we examine whether vaginal fluid metabolites differ by race among patients with OC, if they are associated with systemic inflammation, and if such associations differ by race. Study participants were recruited from the Ovarian Cancer Epidemiology, Healthcare Access, and Disparities Study between March 2021 and September 2022. Our study included 36 study participants with ovarian cancer who provided biospecimens; 20 randomly selected White patients and all 16 eligible Black patients, aged 50-70 years. Ac

SUBMITTER: Osazuwa-Peters OL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11011195 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature