As many are aware, the United States is currently experiencing a matter of great concern: an ongoing shortage of chemotherapy drugs that are essential in the treatment of ovarian cancer. The availability of these medications is of critical importance to patients and their families, and we understand the anxiety and uncertainty this shortage may cause. … Continued
We are shining the spotlight on Jennifer Underwood this month, an OCRA Hero who has taken the lessons her late mother taught her and transformed them into concrete actions to help the ovarian cancer community. “She was selfless and kind, thoughtful and generous, wise and energetic — she was truly amazing,” Jennifer said of her … Continued
Three cheers for a collegiate group of OCRA Heroes who have put in time and energy to raise critical funds for ovarian cancer research. A field hockey team, a pharmaceutical fraternity, and a management class student all showed up and showed their support for our community in separate efforts over the past year. Read on … Continued
We know that germline genetic testing (testing that looks for inherited genetic mutations that exist in all cells of the body) is a crucial component in the fight against ovarian cancer — not just in determining who is at increased risk for the disease, but in optimizing treatment for patients already diagnosed. OCRA offers free … Continued
Written by Annie Ellis, OCRA Research Advocate and Scientific Advisory Committee member, and ovarian cancer survivor, based on expert presentations from the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecoologic Oncology. This year’s SGO annual meeting theme was Patients ● Purpose ● Progress. The meeting was held in Tampa, Florida from March 25th – 28th. … Continued
What can be gained by increasing our understanding of other gynecologic cancers or other parts of the female reproductive system? OCRA’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is comprised of doctors and researchers who are well-known and well-respected experts in the field of gynecologic oncology. They review the proposals we receive for research funding — hundreds of … Continued
Auction Opens Soon Have you always wanted to own a piece of pop culture history? Cancer Gets Lost, an online charity auction, is opening its offerings this week, and all proceeds will benefit OCRA. You can get rare and signed items from hit shows and movies, and make an impact on the future of ovarian cancer treatment and care! Bid … Continued
From March 25-28, 2023, gynecologic cancer experts from around the world converged on Tampa, Florida to participate in the Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer hosted by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. The meeting was packed with educational and scientific sessions highlighting the latest in the care of patients with gynecologic cancers. Below are some highlights of … Continued
A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and funded in part by OCRA, has found that mesothelial cells are a critical factor in ovarian cancer metastasis. High-grade serous ovarian cancer, the most common ovarian cancer subtype, is known to be aggressive, and is associated with the presence of ascites and widespread metastases … Continued
You may hear the terms “uterine cancer” and “endometrial cancer” used interchangeably. But uterine cancer is an umbrella term that includes two distinct cancer types — endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma. When people talk about uterine cancer, they usually are referring to endometrial cancer, which is far more common than uterine sarcoma. Endometrial cancer, in … Continued
Endometriosis and endometrial cancer are often confused because the names of these two conditions sound so much alike. In fact, they are very different. Endometriosis is not cancer, and having endometriosis does not necessarily lead to endometrial cancer. Endometriosis can be very painful, but it is not lethal. What these two conditions do have in common is … Continued
Two OCRA Heroes are committed to pushing the limits of their physical endurance as a show of solidarity for our community this spring. Ethan Willey from Arizona and Mark Everitt from Connecticut will be taking on swimming, biking and running in order to complete a daunting 70.3 miles during two separate Half Ironman events — … Continued
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