News

Vynfinit gains European approval for treatment of platinum-...

Vynfinit gains European approval for treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer

March 26, 2014

Last week, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP – the equivalent to the FDA in the United States, recommended approval for vynfinit in the treatment of some platinum resistant ovarian cancers. Vynfinit, developed by Endocyte, targets ovarian cancer cells that have abnormally high levels of the folate receptor. … Continued

Gene Mutation Causes Rare Ovarian Cancer

Gene Mutation Causes Rare Ovarian Cancer

March 25, 2014

(March 25, 2014) In what is being hailed as a major discovery, findings published this week indicate that researchers have discovered a gene mutation that causes Small Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary, Hypercalcemic type. OCRF Scientific Advisory Committee member, and former grantee, Douglas A. Levine, MD, is senior author of one of three papers on … Continued

SGO Position Statement on Genetic Testing for Gynecologic C...

SGO Position Statement on Genetic Testing for Gynecologic Cancer

March 20, 2014

(March 20, 2014) The Society for Gynecologic Oncology has released a statement on the use of genetic testing for women with gynecologic cancer. The statement says that women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers should receive genetic counseling and consider genetic testing, even in the absence of a family history of cancer. … Continued

Avastin and Chemo for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Inc...

Avastin and Chemo for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Increases Progression Free Survival

March 20, 2014

(March 20, 2014) A group of French researchers conducted a randomized, phase III trial (called AURELIA) combining bevacizumab (Avastin) with chemotherapy in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.  The results of the trial, which enrolled 361 patients, were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included objective … Continued

New analysis links ovarian cancer to obesity

New analysis links ovarian cancer to obesity

March 14, 2014

This week, a new analysis showed that women that are overweight or obese have a moderately higher risk of developing ovarian cancer than women at normal weight. The study, released by the American Institute for Cancer Research, analyzed the data from 28 studies of over 16,000 women with ovarian cancer and showed that women who … Continued

Weekly Carboplatin Plus Paclitaxel Improves Quality of Life

Weekly Carboplatin Plus Paclitaxel Improves Quality of Life

March 14, 2014

(March 14, 2014)  A large European clinical trial showed that carboplatin plus paclitaxel once a week (versus every three weeks) can be an effective front-line treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer. The results of the study were published in the medical journal The Lancet. Carboplatin plus paclitaxel administered every 3 weeks is standard first-line … Continued

OCRF Research Shows Glycans Can Identify Ovarian Cancer

OCRF Research Shows Glycans Can Identify Ovarian Cancer

March 11, 2014

OCRF-funded research at UC Davis have verified that glycans (sugars attached to proteins) can be used to identify ovarian cancer. The study was published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. “This is one of many papers we’ve done to see if glycans can distinguish between women who have ovarian cancer and those who … Continued

Early oophorectomy cuts risk of death in BRCA mutation carr...

Early oophorectomy cuts risk of death in BRCA mutation carriers

February 28, 2014

New research published this week suggests that women with BRCA1 mutations should have a prophylactic oophorectomy by the age of 35 to lessen their risk of developing and dying from ovarian cancer. By contrast, the  study recommended that surgical intervention could be delayed until the 40s for BRCA2 mutation carriers. You can read the full … Continued

Study Shows BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Should Remove Ovaries b...

Study Shows BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Should Remove Ovaries by Age 35

February 25, 2014

The findings of a large international study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest for the first time that women with BRCA1 mutations should have preventive ovarian surgery (prophylactic oophorectomy) by age 35. The report studied nearly 5,800 women with specific genetic mutations called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Researchers found that women with BRCA1 and … Continued

High-dose Vitamin C Helps Ovarian Cancer Patients

High-dose Vitamin C Helps Ovarian Cancer Patients

February 21, 2014

(February 21, 2014) Scientists at the University of Kansas Medical Center have determined that high doses of vitamin C, administered intravenously with traditional chemotherapy, helped kill cancer cells while reducing the toxic effects of chemotherapy for some cancer patients. By evaluating the therapy in cells, animals, and humans, the researchers found that a combination of … Continued

High-dose Vitamin C may boost chemotherapy effectiveness

High-dose Vitamin C may boost chemotherapy effectiveness

February 11, 2014

High-doses of vitamin C delivered in conjunction with IV chemotherapy may boost chemotherapy’s effectiveness and reduce side-effects in ovarian cancer treatment, according to a new study published this week. Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center found that patients who received vitamin C in conjunction with the conventional chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel or carboplatin reported … Continued

Regular Aspirin Use May Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk

Regular Aspirin Use May Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk

February 10, 2014

(February 10, 2014) Women who take aspirin daily may reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, according to a study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).  However, further research is needed before clinical recommendations can be made. The study, which was conducted as part of the OCRF-funded Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, … Continued