When a cancer diagnosis is given, many challenges arise for patients and their families or caregivers. One of the many challenges is role reversal. Men who have a partner who is diagnosed with cancer may have a change in their … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
When I was growing up in the 1950s, none of my immediate family, but many neighbors, distant relatives and acquaintances had cancer. Somehow, a cancer diagnosis always elicited silence, sadness, grief, and dread. Then, some people even … Read more
A new imaging test may provide the ability to identify ovarian cancer patients who are candidates for an emerging treatment that targets a key enzyme cancer cells need to survive. Currently, epithelial ovarian cancer patients with BRCA1 mutations are considered … Read more
An estimated 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, and mortality rates are high if the disease is not caught and treated early.
Members of the clinical community have attempted to identify modifiable … Read more
Niraparib (Zejula, Tesaro) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the maintenance treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer in patients who are in complete or partial … Read more
The addition of the immune therapy motolimod to pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) failed to improve overall survival among women with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma in a randomized phase II trial. There was a survival advantage, however, specifically in patients who … Read more
Maintenance treatment with olaparib (Lynparza, AstraZeneca) can significantly extend progression-free survival (PFS) in a subset of patients with ovarian cancer.
The results of a phase 3 trial showed that in patients with germline BRCA-mutated, platinum-sensitive, relapsed ovarian … Read more
Patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer rank nausea as the most concerning side effect associated with chemotherapy, according to a study presented at the 2017 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting.1
An important aspect of shared decision-making is patient preference … Read more
Patients with relapsed BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer had a similar progression-free survival (PFS) with the PARP inhibitor rucaparib (Rubraca) regardless of the type of mutation, according to subgroup analyses of a prospective, multicenter trial.
Results showed a median PFS of … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
As a retired college professor, I firmly believe that knowledge is power and may also result in a longer healthier life. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, “How to Get Patients to Take More Control … Read more
I have been trying to write this for a while, but the morphine and lack of juicy cheeseburgers (what has it been now, five weeks without real food?) have drained my energy and interfered with whatever prose prowess remains. Additionally, … Read more
By: Susan Gubar
“No thanks, I already have cancer,” I said to the radiologist. Since the magnified images of calcifications in my right breast looked neither obviously benign nor obviously malignant, he had just recommended a biopsy. Even after I … Read more
Screening for ovarian cancer in high-risk patients led to detection of significantly more early-stage disease as compared with the 1 year after screening ended, a multicenter study showed.
Algorithm-based screening with an assay for the CA-125 cancer antigen plus transvaginal … Read more
Jennifer Callaway thought her dream of becoming a mother was gone when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 27. She had her right ovary removed and went through six rounds of chemotherapy.
“In my heart of hearts, I was … Read more
Using a new insight into the nature of ovarian cancer, a team of UC San Diego scientists have found potential new drug targets.
The researchers discovered that existing drugs targeting autophagy were effective in drug-resistant human tumors grafted onto mice, … Read more
Women who have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer are more likely to be affected by cancer of the ovaries, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cavity. This is thought to be due to a mutation in one of … Read more
Ovarian cancer remains the most deadly gynecologic malignancy in the United States with more than 14,000 deaths in 2016. Yet, the prevalence remains low with approximately 22,000 cases in 2016. Stage at diagnosis is one of the strongest predictors of … Read more
By: Susan Gubar
Inside our new condo, the internet connection had failed. Two young men, sent by the cable company, had spent hours burying a cable to replace an antiquated line running into the building. As soon as they drove … Read more
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that the metabolic enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) helps cancer cells repair their DNA and found that inhibiting PGAM1 sensitizes tumors to the cancer drug Olaparib (Lynparza). Their findings in the … Read more
Results from the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) 252 trial, while highly anticipated in the oncology community, did not give any additional clarity for the use of intravenous (IV) versus intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy for patients with ovarian cancer, says Franco M. … Read more
