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Denmark Study Shows Assisted Reproduction Does Not Increase Risk of Ovarian Cancer

(July 12, 2018) A study involving 58,472 women between 1994 and 2015 concluded that assisted reproductive treatment, or ART, did not lead to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Originally it was thought that the hormones used in ART would increase ovarian activity, which would in turn increase one’s risk of ovarian cancer. However, data from this study in Denmark…

Patient Safety

As new ovarian cancer therapies and diagnostic tools come to the market, OCRA is working to make sure that patient safety is protected. New therapy approvals should consider the patient voice throughout the regulatory process and diagnostic tools must be tested to ensure clinical validity. Diagnostic Tests OCRA believes that all diagnostic tests – regardless of where they are developed – should be independently verified to ensure safety and clinical validity…

Genetic Counseling and Testing by Oncologists Feasible for Ovarian Cancer Patients

(April 3, 2018) A study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology explored the effects of oncologists, rather than genetic counselors, testing ovarian cancer patients for BRCA mutations. Due to the limited number of genetic counselors and the increase in demand for BRCA mutation testing, ovarian cancer patients don’t always have the ability or opportunity to be seen by a counselor…

US Preventive Services Task Force: Ovarian Cancer Screening Not Effective for Low-Risk Women

(February 14, 2018) Today the US Preventive Task Force updated their recommendation on ovarian cancer screening, reaffirming their 2012 position that screening average risk women for ovarian cancer is not effective in reducing mortality from the disease. Furthermore, they stated that screening for ovarian cancer carries certain risk and harms that may be substantial, and that those harms outweigh any potential benefit from screening…

OCRFA Awards $5.3 Million in Scientific Research Grants for 2018

(January 25, 2018) OCRFA has just awarded more than $5.3 million in new scientific research grants for ovarian cancer, bringing our total investment in life-saving research to over $80 million. This year’s grants have been awarded to twenty top scientists at sixteen leading medical centers across the country. “Our 2018 grantees are truly some of the most talented researchers in the field today,” said Dr…

Targeting de-poly (ADP-ribosyl)ation for Ovarian Cancer Therapy

Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women. Approximately 15% of ovarian cancer harbors the inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. The mutation carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 have up to 50% lifetime risk to develop ovarian cancer. Currently, PARP inhibitors (e.g. Olaparib, Rucaparib) have been approved by FDA to treat advanced ovarian cancer with BRCA mutations…

Rational Combination Therapy in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer incidence and mortality have remained essentially unchanged during the modern era of cancer treatment. Targeted therapy has emerged as a promising strategy in diverse cancer types, including ovarian cancers. The use of PARP inhibitors in a second-line maintenance setting has provided a therapeutic opportunity, particularly in the patient population that have BRCA mutations. However…

The Role of BRD9-Rad51 Axis in Chemoresistance in Ovarian Cancer

Recent clinical trials showed that PARP inhibitors and platinum are effective in treating ovarian cancer patients with mutations BRCA1, BRCA2, and other genes encoding proteins involved in Homologous Recombination (HR), a form of DNA repair. Proteins involved in HR promote repair of DNA lesions caused by PARP inhibitors and platinum, and this repair contributes to chemotherapy resistance…

Shih-Hsun Chen, PhD

Dr. Shih-Hsun Chen is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, CA. Dr. Chen is working under the mentorship of Dr. Xiaochun Yu whose lab specializes in understanding the mechanisms of DNA damage and repair in breast and ovarian cancer tumorigenesis and response to therapy…

OCRFA Research Shows Novel Combination Therapy Effective in Ovarian Cancer

(December 20, 2017) Cell Reports published new research from the Wistar Institute, which looked at the potential benefits of a therapy that combines PARP inhibitors and BET inhibitors for ovarian cancer patients without BRCA mutations. The research was funded in part by an OCRFA grant to Rugang, Zhang, PhD. PARP inhibitors have already been approved to treat BRCA-mutant ovarian cancers…