The research was co-led by Steven Blum, M.D. Gary Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., Samuel Klempner, M.D., and Alexandra-Chloé Villani, Ph.D., jointly supervised the work at the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research within the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute and the Mass General Brigham Center for Immunology & Inflammatory Diseases (CIID).
Discarded fluid offers a window into cancer
When cancers spread to the chest or abdominal cavities, fluid can accumulate around vital organs. In the abdomen, this fluid is called malignant ascites. Roughly one in 10 patients with advanced solid tumors will develop malignant ascites. Ascites can cause substantial discomfort and is associated with poor responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.