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Five Important Discoveries from OCRFA-Funded Researchers in...

Five Important Discoveries from OCRFA-Funded Researchers in 2016

OCRFA-funded scientists are working hard to save women’s lives. In medical institutions across the country, they investigate the origins and biology of ovarian cancer, find new ways to identify and prevent the disease, and discover better treatments. In 2016, our grantees made significant advances in the fight against ovarian cancer, including: Progress is being made … Continued

FDA Approves Avastin for Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovari...

FDA Approves Avastin for Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

(Dec. 9, 2016) This week Genentech announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has expanded approval for bevacizumab (Avastin) to include patients with platinum-sensitive, recurrent disease, either in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel or in combination with carboplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy, followed by Avastin alone. The approval is based on two large Phase III … Continued

Managing Recurrence: What You Need to Know (Webinar Available)

Managing Recurrence: What You Need to Know (Webinar Available)

Recurrence is in the back of every ovarian cancer survivor’s mind. In this presentation, originally broadcast on November 28, 2016, Dr. Sarah Adams provided an overview of strategies for managing recurrent ovarian cancer, discussing the goals of treatment during recurrence, typical courses of treatment, and advice on how to approach making decisions about treatment during … Continued

OCRFA Funded Research Identifies Protein Group Responsible ...

OCRFA Funded Research Identifies Protein Group Responsible For Senescence’s Negative Side Effects

(Nov. 3, 2016) Senescence is the state when normal, healthy cells no longer have the ability to divide, which can occur during chemotherapy or when cancer genes within that cell are activated. Senescence can be very useful, for example, when one wants to stop cancer cells from rapidly dividing, but there can be negative side … Continued

OCRFA Funded Study Explores New Role of Estrogen in Anti-Tu...

OCRFA Funded Study Explores New Role of Estrogen in Anti-Tumor Immunity

(October 31, 2016) Estrogen signaling is a known factor in how certain estrogen receptive (ER positive) tumors grow in breast and ovarian cancers. That signaling, which can promote malignant tumor growth, can sometimes be effectively treated with anti-estrogen therapy, such as tamoxifen. What is less understood, and currently being studied at the Wistar Institute, is … Continued

OCRFA applauds FDA’s statement on ovarian cancer screening ...

OCRFA applauds FDA’s statement on ovarian cancer screening test

On September 7th, the FDA issued an important safety communication about tests marketed as ovarian cancer screening tests, including the ROCA Test developed by Abcodia Incorporated. The FDA states, “despite extensive research and published studies, there are currently no screening tests for ovarian cancer that are sensitive enough to reliably screen for ovarian cancer without a … Continued

Risk-reducing Oophorectomy is Risky, Study Shows

Risk-reducing Oophorectomy is Risky, Study Shows

A Mayo Clinic research team has found evidence suggesting that premenopausal women who are not at high risk of ovarian cancer should not have their ovaries removed for the purpose of cancer prevention. Premature removal of the ovaries can lead to a higher risk of anywhere from 8 to 18 chronic health conditions including coronary … Continued

Niraparib Significantly Improves Outcome of Ovarian Cancer ...

Niraparib Significantly Improves Outcome of Ovarian Cancer Patients

(October 11, 2016) According to research published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine, the PARP inhibitor niraparib improves progression free survival in recurrent, platinum-sensitive women both with and without germline BRCA mutations. In a randomized, double-blind, phase III trial of over 550 women both with and without germline BRCA mutations, researchers found … Continued

Meet Researcher Hui Shen, PhD

Meet Researcher Hui Shen, PhD

Meet a Researcher: We had the chance to interview Hui Shen, PhD, a 2016 Liz Tilberis Early Career Award grantee to get to know her! Read our interview here. OCRFA: Tell us about yourself. Dr. Hui Shen: My name is Hui Shen. I am originally from China, and had lived in Hong Kong and Los … Continued

Stand Up to Cancer Update Webinar

Stand Up to Cancer Update Webinar

OCRFA and Dr. Elizabeth Swisher spoke about the exciting progress being made by the Stand Up to Cancer Ovarian Cancer Dream Team! The SU2C Ovarian Cancer Dream Team, funded by OCRFA and NOCC, got to work on year ago. Dr. Swisher, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington and co-leader of the Dream Team, … Continued

Low Volume Surgeons Lead to Poorer Outcomes

Low Volume Surgeons Lead to Poorer Outcomes

(October 5, 2016) A new analysis published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology determined the impact of gynecologic surgeon volumes on patient outcomes. Reviewing fourteen studies that involved over 700,000 women, the researchers found that low-volume surgeons (categorized as those performing the procedure approximately once a month or less) were found to have … Continued

OCRFA Research Shows Drugs Help Anti-Tumor Immunity

OCRFA Research Shows Drugs Help Anti-Tumor Immunity

(October 5, 2016) A team of researchers, including senior author and former OCRFA grantee Rugang Zhang, PhD, have been studying the relationship between PD-1 and PD-L1, a protein and an accompanying molecule, and t-cells, which are a body’s natural defense against tumor growth. PD-L1 can be found on both cancer cells and healthy cells but, … Continued

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