(June 4, 2014) In a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting last week, researchers found that the combination of olaparib and cediranib (Recentin) kept recurrent ovarian cancer from worsening for almost nine months longer than treatment with olaparib alone. For this study, 90 women with recurrent ovarian cancer that was … Continued
Partnership is a word you’ll hear often from the board members of Caring Together, a Partner Member of the Alliance in eastern New York. The support group was organized in 1996 by a survivor and nurse practitioner named Debbie Cullinan. “As the support group continued to grow, women and their families had a strong desire … Continued
The Food and Drug Administration is seeking comments by June 11, 2014 on its review for Olaparib approval. Olaparib is an oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that exploits DNA repair pathway deficiencies to preferentially kill cancer cells. AstraZeneca, the company that manufactures the drug, has submitted an application to the FDA for approval of … Continued
(May 16, 2014) Breastfeeding, tubal ligation – also known as having one’s “tubes tied” – and oral contraceptives may lower the risk of ovarian cancer for some women with BRCA gene mutations, according to a comprehensive analysis from a team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Basser Research Center for BRCA. The Basser Research Center for … Continued
Despite recommendations from the federal government that women at high-risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer be offered genetic counseling and testing at no out of pocket cost, a new study finds that few women are offered these services. Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center found that over the course of two … Continued
(May 6, 2014) Tumors use numerous mechanisms to escape detection and killing by the immune system. Results from OCRF-funded research, reported May 4, 2014 in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, show that ovarian cancer cells (and others) establish a protective barrier that prevents anti-tumor immune responses by using tumor-associated blood vessels to kill immune cells. … Continued
This week, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about a proposed Guidance for Industry that could have the effect of limiting patient access to “off label” oncology drugs. In cancer, many people are prescribed treatments approved for other uses, but not currently approved for a particular disease. … Continued
(April 30, 2014) A positive pretreatment imaging test more than doubled the likelihood of disease control in platinum-resistant advanced ovarian cancer treated with the folate receptor-targeted drug vintafolide (trade name Vynfinit), results of a small phase II study showed. The research was reported in the April issue of Annals of Oncology. Lesions that tested positive for … Continued
Rhonda’s Club was founded in 1997, roughly the same time as the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance—and by some of the same people. Rhonda Oziel, Pat Goldman, Ann Kolker, Clare Donelan and Susan Butler were among a small group that formed the original Ovarian and Gynecologic Cancer Coalition of Greater Washington. “Women found it very hard … Continued
With two marquee scientific conferences, the Society for Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), occurring back-to-back, the past few weeks have seen an explosion in ovarian cancer research news. This post rounds-up all that news and puts it in one place for you. All women with ovarian cancer should consider … Continued
This month, we celebrate Liz Tilberis, beloved former president of OCRF and editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar.
(April 15, 2014) Prolonged (>35 days), infrequent, or anovulatory menstrual cycles was associated with as much as a two-fold increase in ovarian cancer and more than a three-fold increase in the risk of fatal ovarian cancer, according to a 50-year, prospective follow-up in 14,403 women. The findings were presented at the American Association for Cancer … Continued
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