, Aug. 4 -- A new study has found a possible link between fructose, a common dietary sugar, and the spread of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer.

Researchers at The Wistar Institute found that cancer cells that survive chemotherapy can release fructose, which may act as a chemical signal and encourage nearby cancer cells to spread.

The findings, published in Nature Aging, point to a previously unknown way in which cancer cells left behind after treatment may contribute to the spread of the disease.

"Some cancer cells that survive chemotherapy aren't dividing anymore, but they're still biologically active," said Aidan Cole, a postdoctoral fellow at The Wistar Institute and the study's first author.

"Instead, they continue to release ...