News

More Evidence that IVF Does Not Increase Gyn Cancer Risk

More Evidence that IVF Does Not Increase Gyn Cancer Risk

February 22, 2013

New research published in Human Reproduction Update provides additional evidence that in vitro fertilization (IVF) does not increase women’s risk for ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer. Researchers have wondered if fertility treatments like IVF, which require the use of ovulation-stimulating drugs and the puncturing of the ovaries to retrieve eggs, increased women’s risk of gynecologic cancers.  Some … Continued

New Statistics on Ovarian Cancer in African Americans

New Statistics on Ovarian Cancer in African Americans

February 20, 2013

In a report issued this month, the American Cancer Society released new statistics on cancer in African Americans.  Overall, cancer death rates among both African American men and women have declined, yet African Americans still have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any ethnic group for cancer.  However, for ovarian cancer, both incidence … Continued

IVF Does Not Significantly Increase Risk of Ovarian Cancer

IVF Does Not Significantly Increase Risk of Ovarian Cancer

February 20, 2013

A study of the medical records of more than 67,000 women who underwent fertility treatment found that fertility treatments did not effect the risk of breast or uterine cancer, and may slightly increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Researchers are not sure if the risk of ovarian cancer was due to chance or the drugs/IVF … Continued

New Study Shows No Link between Obesity and Risk for Most C...

New Study Shows No Link between Obesity and Risk for Most Common Ovarian Cancer

February 15, 2013

A new study published in Endocrine-Related Cancer which used data from the OCRF-funded Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, evaluated the association between BMI and ovarian cancer risk, and also examined the association by histological subtype, menopausal status, and post-menopausal hormone (HRT) use. Results showed that while obesity does appear to increase risk of less common types of ovarian … Continued

Ovarian Cancer in African Americans

Ovarian Cancer in African Americans

February 6, 2013

A new report from the American Cancer Society estimates cancer incidence and mortality rates for African Americans. In the case of ovarian cancer, both incidence and mortality are lower for African American women than for white women. Ovarian cancer incidence for African American women is 74 percent of the rate for white women; death rates … Continued

Stress and Cancer

Stress and Cancer

January 30, 2013

A new study of mice with prostate cancer indicated that stress can hinder the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapies. In this mouse model, the use of beta-blockers did prevent stress from accelerating cancer growth. The pathway will now be tested in human prostate cells. Read an article about the study here and the journal article here. … Continued

FGFR4 is a Prognostic Marker and Therapeutic Target for Ova...

FGFR4 is a Prognostic Marker and Therapeutic Target for Ovarian Cancer

January 25, 2013

In the journal Clinical Cancer Research, a group of researchers, including current and past OCRF grantees Anil Sood and Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, evaluated the prognostic value of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) protein expression in patients with advanced-stage, high-grade serous ovarian cancer. They found that FGFR4 is a prognostic marker for the disease.  Furthermore, silencing FGFR4 significantly … Continued

Interval Debulking Surgery Appears to Increase Risk of Plat...

Interval Debulking Surgery Appears to Increase Risk of Platinum Resistance

January 24, 2013

A study of 425 Stage III and IV ovarian cancer patients had either primary debulking surgery or interval debulking surgery. Interval debulking surgery did not appear to increase the risk of initial platinum resistance, but did appear to increase the risk of platinum resistance in the recurrent setting. See the abstract here

Extended Breastfeeding Reduces the Risk of Ovarian Cancer

Extended Breastfeeding Reduces the Risk of Ovarian Cancer

January 23, 2013

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from Curtin University in Australia found that extended breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer in women. The study examined 493 Chinese women who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The study found that women who breastfed for more than 13 months were … Continued

High Blood Calcium Levels May Indicate Ovarian Cancer

High Blood Calcium Levels May Indicate Ovarian Cancer

January 23, 2013

A new study indicates a direct link between higher blood calcium levels and presence of ovarian cancer. Specifically, “women who were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer and women who later died of ovarian cancer had higher levels of calcium in blood than women who did not before their cancer diagnosis.” Read an article about the … Continued

Examining Change in CA-125 Over Time to Identify Ovarian Ca...

Examining Change in CA-125 Over Time to Identify Ovarian Cancer Earlier

January 22, 2013

A new approach to monitoring CA-125, using an algorithm that looks at its change over time, is more effective at identifying ovarian cancer earlier than using a single-threshold number.

Hormonal Risk & Tumor Aggressiveness

Hormonal Risk & Tumor Aggressiveness

January 16, 2013

In an analysis of more than 4,000 women with ovarian cancer, it appears that some hormonal and reproductive factors may affect tumor aggressiveness. The study showed that increased age was associated with greater risk of rapidly fatal disease use of oral contraceptives was associated with a decreased risk of rapidly fatal disease increased parity (having … Continued