New Cancer Biomarkers for Ovarian Cancer Could Aid Detection Efforts

When it comes to detecting cancers, ovarian cancer has long been proclaimed one of the hardest cancers to find. That’s because it’s usually fairly advanced before it’s found and can be treated. However, new research is finding new biomarkers for ovarian cancer, which could help doctors identify and treat it. According to a recent news article,

“UC San Diego researchers say they have found a potential new diagnostic for ovarian cancer, one of the most difficult cancers to detect and treat.

The discovery of six isoforms of messenger RNA specific to ovarian cancer could also lead to new therapies, the researchers say in a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (If the article is not yet live, please check back later).

Christian L. Barrett was the study's first author; the senior author was Kelly A Frazer.

Ovarian cancers typically don't show symptoms until well-established. While most respond to therapy at first, recurrences become progressively more difficult to treat.

Scientists at UCSD School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center used bioinformatics to screen public genetic databases sponsored by the NIH, eventually finding six mRNA isoforms that were reliably present in 296 ovarian cancer samples but not present in 1,839 normal tissue samples. These molecules are specific enough to be used in a test for the early detection of ovarian cancer, the scientists said.

Moreover, some of the mRNA code for proteins representing potential new therapeutic targets, the paper found.

"We were inspired by many studies aimed at using DNA to detect cancer," Barrett said in a UCSD press release. "But we wondered if we could instead develop an ovarian cancer detection test based on tumor-specific mRNA that has disseminated from cancer cells to the cervix and can be collected during a routine Pap test."

The researchers validated their findings by searching for and finding these mRNA isoforms in ovarian cancer cells grown in the lab. They suggest that similar testing could be done for 30 other cancers in which sufficient amounts of mRNA have already detected.”

Read the full article here: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/may/25/ovarian-cancer-ucsd/

Detecting Ovarian Cancer Just Got Easier

Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer because its symptoms often mask as other problems until the disease is quite advanced. Pain can be “waved away” as stomach pain or run-of-the-mill reproductive pain. That’s why it’s so critical for ovarian cancer detection methods to improve. Fortunately, one research team is working on the problem:

“Detection of ovarian cancer was significantly improved in a study that used a risk algorithm based on changes in serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125) levels over time rather than relying on traditional fixed CA125 cutoff values.

As part of the ongoing United Kingdom ovarian cancer trial involving more than 200,000 women, researchers found that the risk algorithm could detect 87% of ovabrian cancers, compared with fewer than 50% of cancers identified using cutoff values.

The findings could substantially improve the early detection of ovarian cancer, which is associated with 6-month survival rates of less than 5% if it is diagnosed at an advanced stage, say the researchers.”

Read the original article at Medscape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/844673

Good News: Ovarian Cancer Death Rates Drop

New studies have shown tremendous improvements in ovarian cancer outlooks for patients over the past half-century. Advances in medical care mean that women who are diagnosed with the disease, called the “silent killer,” are more able to be treated. Better options in healthcare, chemotherapy, and surgery are helping to boost survival rates for women. According to the study:

“Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, traditionally viewed as an aggressive killer, are much more likely to survive the disease than they were several decades ago, new research shows.

"Ovarian cancer, unfortunately, is associated with a very high death rate," said study author Dr. Jason Wright, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.

But that seems to be changing, he said.

"We wanted to do this study because there have been a number of advances in the treatment of ovarian cancer," Wright said. "There is better surgery, better chemo and better ways to deliver the chemo. More recently, there has also been a better understanding of the biology and genetics of the cancer."

To see if these advances have made an impact on survival rates, Wright's team evaluated nearly 50,000 women who were diagnosed with the disease between 1975 and 2011. All of the data came from a large national cancer database.

"We compared survival for women with cancer compared to women without cancer [in the general population]," he said.

After accounting for advances in general medical care, Wright said, "women diagnosed in 2006 compared to those diagnosed in 1975 are about 50 percent less likely to die from their ovarian cancer."

Survival improved for all stages of ovarian cancer from 1975 to 2011, Wright found. Women with stage 1 cancers were 49 percent less likely to die of the cancer in 2006. Those with stage 3 and 4 cancers were about 51 percent less likely to die.”

Read the entire article here: http://www.webmd.com/ovarian-cancer/news/20150507/study-sees-improving-survival-odds-for-ovarian-cancer

Celebrating World Ovarian Cancer Day 2015

We're so excited to celebrate World Ovarian Cancer Day on May 8th! This year, the event is promoting the #UnbreakableBond campaign, hoping to help women band together to raise awareness about ovarian cancer. According to an article at EmpowHer,

"May 8, 2015, will be the third annual World Ovarian Cancer Day. The first day was observed in 2013, by an international group of representatives from patient organizations working in ovarian cancer. The organization is dedicated to creating and raising awareness about ovarian cancer to ensure all women know about the disease. 

Calaneet Balas, CEO of OCNA, strongly believes in supporting those women affected by this devastating disease. Balas believes that cancer still carries a big stigma in many countries around the world, especially when it comes to women. Due to limited treatment options and low survival rates, many women often feel loneliness and abandonment along with their cancer diagnosis rather than receiving the support they really need at this time from family and friends. If ovarian cancer is found and treated before the cancer spreads outside of the ovaries, the five-year survival rate is 92 percent, but only 15 percent of all ovarian cancer cases are found at this early stage, the American Cancer Society said. 

"In some countries they talk about cancer, but they don't talk about women's cancer, and gynecologic cancer is still taboo across the board. We certainly don't talk about it here in the United States," Balas said. 

By coming together since the first meeting, the World Ovarian Cancer Day group "has built and will continue to build a sense of solidarity in the fight against the disease," Balas said. The group has been addressing gaps in understanding and managing the disease, building awareness and increasing funds for research."

You can read the whole article  here, and help us raise awareness for ovarian cancer on our Facebook page here!