Mayo Clinic Works To Develop Ovarian Cancer Vaccine

More concrete ways of preventing ovarian cancer may be closer than you think. The Mayo Clinic is working to develop a vaccine for ovarian cancer prevention.

There are no early detection tests for ovarian cancer, and 56 percent of women diagnosed with the disease die within five years.

That’s why the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) spends most of their budget on funding research. WCCO’s Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield took a look inside the Mayo Clinic to see where some of that money goes.

There are a lot of important things going on at this international hub for health. Inside one lab, Dr. Matthew Block is in charge of one of them. He works to “either reduce the curable rate or improve the cure rate or delay occupancies.”

Block admitted it can be a bit jumbled to explain, but he’s on a mission to save people from ovarian cancer. It’s a cause that’s not just professional — it’s personal. He and his family lost a close friend named Jayne.

“We struggled with her as she dealt with ovarian cancer for four years, and unfortunately she passed away,” Block said.

With the disease’s 85 percent mortality rate, he’s lost a number of patients as well.

“Working with my patients fuels the passion,” he said. “We’ve got to learn to do things better than we’re doing them currently.”

That’s why Block is managing a study at the Mayo.

Most women who develop ovarian cancer have a bout and go into remission, but then it recurs. Block is trying to come up with a vaccine for survivors using a woman’s own cells, so that their cancer won’t come back.

“In ovarian cancer, we have seen that we can generate immune responses that recognize the cancer like they would recognize a virus,” Block said.

The level of funding by the federal government is often not enough to accomplish these types of trials, so groups like MOCA have stood in the gap. About $100,000 came from MOCA, through donations to the teal-themed small non-profit.

Block said his gratitude to the group isn’t just about money.

“While I do my best to try and explain things to the patients so they understand what’s going on — what to expect, what our plans are as treatments — it’s often nice to have someone outside the medical field whom she can relate to, and MOCA’s provided that for many through their support,” Block said.

To make a donation to MOCA, click here. More information about ovarian cancer can be found here.

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Is Ovarian Cancer Something You Have to Worry About?

Ovarian cancer may pose a bigger risk to your health than you think.

Diem Brown – MTV reality star, cancer warrior and patient advocate - was only 34 years old when she died after a long battle with ovarian cancer on November 14. She was first diagnosed at 23 years old, and again in 2012. Her tragic story has put a spotlight on ovarian cancer and raised awareness.

Here are the most important questions about ovarian cancer answered with help from the American Cancer Society:

How common is ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women. According to World Ovarian Cancer Day, there are about 250,000 women diagnosed each year and about 140,000 deaths from ovarian cancer each year worldwide. A woman’s risk of getting this type of cancer is about 1 in 73 and her risk of dying from it is about 1 in 100.

Who is at risk?

All women are at risk for ovarian cancer. It mainly develops in older women – about half of the women diagnosed are 63 years or older. It is more common in white women than African-American women. Women are most often diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 70, and even more so in women between the ages of 50 and 59. However, it does occur in younger women too. When younger individuals are diagnosed with cancer, it is often more aggressive.

Should I worry about it?

Women should not necessarily worry about ovarian cancer. However, because only about 20 percent of ovarian cancers are found early, women should know what the symptoms are and how to be cautious of it. When this type of cancer is found early, the five-year survival rate is about 90-95 percent. According to UConn Health, when the cancer is detected at an advanced stage, the five-year survival rate becomes 18 percent.

Can it be prevented?

Cancer is not preventable. However, being aware of the symptoms will allow for early diagnosis (when the disease is more easily treatable.) The best way women can keep themselves aware is by having a pelvic exam done each year. It is important that your physician is aware of your medical and family history so that all risk factors are taken into account. Routine pap smears do not detect ovarian cancer.

Are there symptoms, signs, or risk factors to be aware of?

The most common symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary symptoms like urgency and frequency. These symptoms may also be caused by non-cancerous diseases and other types of cancers. Symptoms that are persistent and more severe are more concerning, especially if a woman has symptoms more than twelve times a month. If so, a women should see her gynecologist. Other symptoms may include fatigue, upset stomach, back pain, pain during sex, constipation, menstrual changes, and abdominal swelling with weight loss.

Is it treatable?

When ovarian cancer is diagnosed at an early stage – when the cancer is still confined to the ovary. On the other hand, ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed at a late stage. This may be due to symptoms being confused with other, more common issues. This is why it’s important to track the frequency of the symptoms.

Read the full article here: http://fxn.ws/1vSr86Q

Ovarian Cancer at 17. Soon-to-be Mom at 34.

This soon-to-be Mom battled ovarian cancer at 17. Read her story here:

This week we’re spotlighting MOCA, the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance as part of our Trees of Hope campaign.

Ovarian cancer occurs in 1 in 71 women. Fifty-six percent of women die within five years.

The average age for a woman to be diagnosed is 63. But doctors told Kristen Miles she had the diseasewhen she was just 17.

Now 34, Kristen’s life is flourishing, thanks in part to a special group at MOCA.
She met her husband, Kevin, with the help of a matchmaker.

“A real-life matchmaker, not online (laughs),” Kristen said.

And that was the beginning of would become her fairy tale. Her nightmare is now 17 years in the past, and it all started with a swollen belly.

“I had an ultrasound that showed a mass, and four days later I was rushed into surgery and that’s where I was diagnosed,” she said.

Miles was the unlucky statistic, being diagnosed with a disease that usually affects women four-times older than she was at the time.

After surgery to remove an ovary and aggressive chemo, she fell into another narrow statistic: women who survive ovarian cancer. But her battle would continue in other ways.

“When dating, I always had in the back of my mind, I have to find someone, if I can’t have kids someday, they have to be OK with that,” Kristen said.

Thankfully, Kevin was.

“Ovarian cancer, I had not heard of before,” Kevin said.

Nor have most people. And that’s what Kristen had come to expect until she heard about the teal-trademarked group MOCA.

“When I moved to the Twin Cities and heard there was an organization just for ovarian cancer, I was so excited, it was people you can relate to,” she said.

And then she found out about the Young Survivor’s Group: women in their teens, twenties and thirties sharing fun events like belly dancing class, speaking at events and representing the cause at health fairs.

“Unique friendships that we otherwise may not have never met, and we’re just good support for each other,” Kristen said.

Together, they share the highs and the lows.

“We are a unique group. We face certain challenges like fertility,” she said. “A lot of survivors go into basically medically-induced menopause.”

It’s a challenge she, and her now-husband, no longer face.

“Because of the intensity of my chemo I had, it was still going to be in question, so we’re pretty excited it worked,” Kristen said.

She’s due in March. While they wait, they’ll continue to volunteer.

“MOCA does some really important stuff that I wasn’t even aware of,” Kevin said.

They don’t yet know the gender, whether it’s blue or pink. But there’s a good chance their baby will wear teal.

“I might make our child volunteer (laughs),” Kristen said.

Click the link to read the full article: http://cbsloc.al/1G0GY0t

Fighting Ovarian Cancer Head-On

Learn how this small non-profit in Minneapolis is fighting ovarian cancer head-on:

Whether they are breaking a sweat at a fundraiser or all dressed up at a banquet — the color teal always marks an occasion for the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance. And so does a sense of pride.
Eleven-year survivor Erica Dahlin and her family help support the annual walk.

“We need to find a test that can help us know this is what it is – early,” Dahlin said.

Thirteen-year survivor Pam MacDonald started her own spin-off — a spin class.

“I have another granddaughter that’s coming in early February and more than ever I’m going for the cure and early detection,” MacDonald said.

The group came together in 1999. Kathleen Gavin, a public health advocate, was the first full-time staff member.

“I can’t walk away, we’ve lost so many fabulous women and I feel I owe it to them,” Gavin said.
But building a support base with people passionate about ovarian cancer was tricky.

“If 85 percent of them die, then we lose our advocates,” Gavin said. “They’re not there to fight with us any longer. And that’s why we really need the whole community to be involved.”

Unlike breast cancer, there isn’t a way to screen ovarian cancer early. And there aren’t as many survivors to build a large-scale support network.

Although MOCA’s worked with women as young as seven, the average age is 63. And the symptoms of ovarian cancer are quite subtle.

“A lot of women are initially misdiagnosed as having irritable bowel syndrome, peri-menopause, stress, midlife weight gain,” Gavin said. “These are all things that mimic ovarian cancer.”
By the time they are properly diagnosed, it’s often stage three or four.

“They’re thrown into this world of confusing cancer treatment. All of a sudden, you know, it’s surgery and really tough chemo, so that’s why MOCA is there,” she said.

The other reason is research. There’s the hope that perhaps a pap smear could one day detect it, or a vaccine could be developed. That’s where they put the vast majority of their budget.

“That is what’s really gonna make a difference in the future, that’s how we’re gonna get an early detection test, that’s how we’re gonna get better treatments and maybe a cure,” Gavin said.

They are a small but mighty group who knows that survival sometimes involves a good fight.

Click the link to read the full article: http://cbsloc.al/1yMAsam