News

Large Study Points to Similarities Between Endometrial and ...

Large Study Points to Similarities Between Endometrial and Ovarian Cancers

May 2, 2013

According to a large new study published May 2, 2013 in the prestigious journal Nature, researchers have found that endometrial tumors can be reclassified into distinct subtypes based partly on their genomic makeup, and may respond to targeted drugs already being tested in clinical trials.  Furthermore, they found that genomic alterations in uterine serous tumors—the … Continued

Research

Experts Tackle Key Issues for Ovarian Cancer in New White P...

Experts Tackle Key Issues for Ovarian Cancer in New White Paper

May 1, 2013

Last fall, the Alliance convened a ground-breaking meeting in Washington, DC, to consider some of the most challenging topics facing the ovarian cancer community. A group of researchers, oncologists, regulatory experts, advocates and industry representatives attempted to answer questions such as: “How can more women be treated where they live?” “How can we facilitate increased … Continued

Advocacy

Partner Member Profile: Dancing For A Cure

Partner Member Profile: Dancing For A Cure

May 1, 2013

Susan Friedman was inspired to start Dancing For A Cure when her best friend of 40 years, Karen Schek, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006. “I really wasn’t sure what to do,” recalls Susan. “I owned a dance studio at the time, so I put up a notice on the bulletin board asking if … Continued

Community

Many Ovarian Cancer Patients Use Humor to Cope

Many Ovarian Cancer Patients Use Humor to Cope

April 30, 2013

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, including former OCRF grantee Stephen Rose, MD, conducted a qualitative research study looking at how patients with recurrent ovarian cancer experience humor to gain insight into the feasibility of using humor as a “therapeutic adjunct.” The study, which was published in the March 2013 issue of the International Journal … Continued

Research

Report from the American Association of Cancer Researchers ...

Report from the American Association of Cancer Researchers Meeting

April 25, 2013

Ovarian cancer survivor Susan Leighton reports on her experience at the American Association of Cancer Researchers meeting, which took place in April 2013. For the second year in a row I had the privilege of being selected to attend the Scientist-Survivor Program (SSP) of the American Association of Cancer Researchers. The SSP program was established … Continued

Advocacy

Experimental Drug Active in Platinum-resistant Ovarian Cancer

Experimental Drug Active in Platinum-resistant Ovarian Cancer

April 15, 2013

Earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cancer Research, OCRF grantee Joyce Liu, MD, MPH presented research showing that 20% of women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer responded to an experimental drug that targets a protein common in ovarian cancer. The small clinical trial is the first to show results from … Continued

Research

Two-Step Immunotherapy Shows Promise Against Advanced Ovari...

Two-Step Immunotherapy Shows Promise Against Advanced Ovarian Cancer

April 15, 2013

In a small study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research earlier this month, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania reported success with a new two-step immunotherapy approach to treating advanced ovarian cancer when combined with chemotherapy. The process begins with treatment with a personalized vaccine, which is created from … Continued

Research

Endometriosis Treatments Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Endometriosis Treatments Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

April 11, 2013

Women who had surgery to treat their endometriosis also lowered their risk of developing ovarian cancer. A study of approximately 600 Swedish women found that those who either had one ovary removed or had surgery to remove endometriotic tissue had a 20 to 42 percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. See the abstract here … Continued

Research

Disparities in Ovarian Cancer Care and Quality

Disparities in Ovarian Cancer Care and Quality

April 9, 2013

In a new study of over 47,000 women with ovarian cancer, researchers found disparities in the quality of ovarian cancer care and survival according to race and socioeconomic status. Not receiving care adherent with National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines was a predictor of inferior survival.  Women who were black, on Medicare, or uninsured were less … Continued

Research

Antidepressant May Help With Chemotherapy Side Effects

Antidepressant May Help With Chemotherapy Side Effects

April 9, 2013

A study of 231 cancer patients found that the use of duloxetine (Cymbalta) reduced chemotherapy induce peripheral neuropathy. Patients either recieved Cymbalta or a placebo; in the Cymbalta arm, 59% of patients had an improvement in symptoms, whereas in the placebo arm only 38% of patients had an improvement in symptoms. The abstract is available … Continued

Research

New Clues About Origins of Ovarian Cancer

New Clues About Origins of Ovarian Cancer

April 8, 2013

According to research published in March 6 in the journal Nature, researchers have discovered a possible origin of epithelial ovarian cancer. The origin of ovarian cancer is unclear, making the development of a method of early detection very difficult.  Scientists know that some epithelial cancers occur in transitional zones between two types of epithelium (layers of … Continued

Research

USPSTF Releases Draft Statement on Risk Assessment for BRCA...

USPSTF Releases Draft Statement on Risk Assessment for BRCA-Related Cancer

April 3, 2013

On Tuesday, April 2, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its draft recommendation statement on Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing for BRCA-Related Cancer. The USPSTF recommends that primary care providers screen women who have family members with breast or ovarian cancer with one of several screening tools designed to identify a … Continued

Research