Many exciting updates about progress against ovarian cancer were presented at this year’s Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer — the largest meeting of gynecologic cancer experts in the world. This April, gynecologic oncologist and ovarian cancer expert Dr. Sarah Adams joined OCRA for an interactive webinar reporting on the highlights (in … Continued
The interaction between two partner proteins may promote the growth of the most common ovarian cancer subtype, according to recent findings from OCRA-funded researchers at University of Pennsylvania and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and their colleagues. The learnings, which were published in Science Signaling, may pave the way for the future development of new targeted therapies. HGSOC … Continued
A therapeutic strategy that targets key tumor proteins shows promise for treating the most common subtype of ovarian cancer, according to a recent study led by OCRA grantee Duygu Ozmadenci, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center. High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most common subtype of ovarian cancer, with approximately 75% of epithelial ovarian cancers … Continued
Dr. Benoît Brangantini, of Mayo Clinic, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With his project, “Probing Homologous Recombination DNA Repair Factors in Chromatin by cryo-EM,” Dr. Bragantini aims to better understand how DNA damage and repair mechanisms can lead to ovarian cancer, and how these processes can be controlled to prevent ovarian … Continued
Submitted by ovarian cancer survivor Annie Ellis, OCRA Research Advocate and Scientific Advisory Committee member This year’s SGO annual meeting was held in Phoenix, Arizona from March 18-21. Approximately 2,100 medical professionals attended in person with several hundred more attending virtually to learn the latest on gynecologic cancers. By now, you may have seen professional coverage … Continued
Some ovarian cancers are genetically linked to the gynecologic disorder known as endometriosis, according to recent findings from an international team of researchers. Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus — the endometrium — grows outside the uterus. Though endometriosis is classified as a benign disorder, it … Continued
Dr. Melanie Weigert, of University of Chicago, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With her project, “Genome-Wide Profiling of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine on Cell-Free DNA,” Dr. Weigert aims to identify biomarkers that can predict how cancer cells will respond to platinum-based treatments, helping guide patients with potentially platinum-resistant cancer toward alternative therapies. Dr. Weigert’s … Continued
Key recommendations for improving care of ovarian cancer patients in the United States have been published as part of a collaborative, in-depth initiative spearheaded by the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) and involving a joint partnership between OCRA, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and the Association for Molecular Pathology. The initiative was guided … Continued
In promising news on the prevention front, one surgical procedure that leaves the ovaries intact may greatly reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. Recent research findings show that the surgical removal of fallopian tubes in a procedure known as an opportunistic salpingectomy may prevent the most common subtype of ovarian cancer from developing. The procedure … Continued
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Cervical cell samples that are routinely collected as part of Pap smears may hold promise for predicting the risk of ovarian and other cancers, according to recent findings published as two separate papers in Nature — one focused on ovarian cancer and the other on breast cancer. The researchers studied cervical samples collected at 15 different health centers in Europe … Continued
A prospective cohort study recently published on Vaccines set out to determine the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for gynecologic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment around the time of their vaccination. In all, 44 gynecologic cancer patients were enrolled in the study, including 28 ovarian cancer patients. Patients involved in the study … Continued
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