1999 Individual Investigator Award Recipient — Abbie Fields, MD
Project Summary
Dr. Fields and her co-investigators will undertake a study of the genetic predisposition of development of cancer of the lining of the peritoneal cavity which, while identical under the microscope to patients with cancer of the ovary, differs in several biologic parameters from “conventional” ovarian cancer. Approximately 1,000 patients a year in the United States who have peritoneal cancer, but by analyzing the genetic pattern in such patients, much can be learned about the hereditary predispositions which distinguish it from sporadic ovarian cancer. Such information will allow more precise counseling of patients who are found to have germline mutations for the genes BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, which predisposes to both peritoneal and ovarian cancer. In addition, Dr. Fields will establish a registry and a tissue bank for women who undergo prophylactic oophorectomy as prevention of subsequent ovarian cancer and will thus provide a resource of tissue and serum for investigators in the future to apply new techniques of analysis to this resource of banked material.