Join the 'Ovarian Cancer' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Taller, Heavier Women May Face Higher Ovarian Cancer Risk
Posted 3 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 3 – Taller, heavier women may be at an increased risk of ovarian cancer, research suggests. An international research group examined data from 47 studies conducted in 14 countries involving more than 25,000 women with ovarian cancer and 81,000 women without the disease. Every 2-inch increase in a woman's height was associated with a significant increase in the odds of developing ovarian cancer, the investigators found. A higher body mass index (a measurement based on height and weight) also was associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer, but only among women who had never taken menopausal hormone therapy. The researchers found that the association between height and weight and ovarian cancer remained even after taking into account other factors that could influence ovarian cancer risk, such as age, age at first menstrual period, family history of ovarian or breast ... Read more
Related support groups: Ovarian Cancer
Immune-Based Drug Combo Might Extend Cancer Survival
Posted 2 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 2 – Cancer patients who receive a combination of low-dose interleukin-2 and retinoic acid after conventional therapy seem to live longer than those who don't get the combination. These new study findings, slated for presentation this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago, were seen across individuals with many different forms of advanced malignancies, including breast, lung and colon cancers. Retinoic acid is derived from vitamin A. Interleukin-2, a compound that fortifies the immune system, is approved at high doses to treat "metastatic" melanoma and kidney cancer. Metastatic means that a cancer has spread. The study showed that "these biological compounds may work at low doses. Bigger doses are not always better," said lead author Dr. Francesco Recchia, director of the oncology department at Civilian Hospital in Avezzano, ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma, Small Cell Lung Cancer, Melanoma - Metastatic, Gastric Cancer
Endometriosis Could Raise Risk of 3 Ovarian Cancers
Posted 22 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 – Women with a history of endometriosis have a significantly increased risk of developing three types of ovarian cancer, according to a new study. Endometriosis is a disorder in which cells from the lining of the uterus grow in other areas of the body. It affects about 10 percent of women of reproductive age. Researchers analyzed data from more than 23,000 women in 13 studies and found that those with a history of endometriosis had a more than threefold increased risk of clear-cell ovarian cancers, a more than two-fold increased risk of endometrioid tumors, and a twofold increased risk of low-grade serous ovarian cancers. There was no link between endometriosis and increased risk for high-grade serous, mucinous, serous borderline, or mucinous borderline ovarian cancers. The study is published online Feb. 22 in The Lancet Oncology. "This breakthrough could lead to ... Read more
Related support groups: Endometriosis, Ovarian Cancer
Gene Mutations May Boost Ovarian Cancer Survival: Study
Posted 24 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 24 – Genetic mutations known as BRCA1 and BRCA2 raise the risk of getting ovarian cancer, but new research shows that those same mutations may boost a woman's odds of surviving the deadly disease. Women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer who carry the mutations have a better prognosis than women without the genetic variations, according to an analysis of 26 previous studies. The BRCA2 carriers, in particular, had a better five-year survival rate. "Our paper provides definitive evidence that BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers have improvement in survival [compared to ovarian cancer patients without the mutations]," said Kelly L. Bolton, lead author of the new analysis and a medical student at the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. The study, which confirms previous findings, is published Jan. 25 in the Journal of the American Medical ... Read more
Related support groups: Ovarian Cancer
Avastin May Help Some With Ovarian Cancer: Studies
Posted 28 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28 – Two new studies suggest that the drug Avastin may lengthen progression-free survival by about four months for women with ovarian cancer. What isn't clear yet is whether adding Avastin (bevacizumab) will make a difference in overall survival. One study suggested it would, while the other study didn't find a difference in overall survival between two treatment groups. "The bottom-line results are a 28 percent reduction in disease progression with patients on continued bevacizumab compared to the standard treatment group. There was a 3.8 month median difference in progression-free survival," said Dr. Robert Burger, author of one of the studies and director of the Women's Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "We still have to fine-tune or optimize this sort of new paradigm of treatment. This regimen [chemotherapy plus continued Avastin] could be ... Read more
Related support groups: Avastin, Ovarian Cancer
Avastin May Help Some With Ovarian Cancer: Studies
Posted 28 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28 – Two new studies suggest that the drug Avastin may lengthen progression-free survival by about four months for women with ovarian cancer. What isn't clear yet is whether adding Avastin (bevacizumab) will make a difference in overall survival. One study suggested it would, while the other study didn't find a difference in overall survival between two treatment groups. "The bottom-line results are a 28 percent reduction in disease progression with patients on continued bevacizumab compared to the standard treatment group. There was a 3.8 month median difference in progression-free survival," said Dr. Robert Burger, author of one of the studies and director of the Women's Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "We still have to fine-tune or optimize this sort of new paradigm of treatment. This regimen [chemotherapy plus continued Avastin] could be ... Read more
Related support groups: Avastin, Ovarian Cancer
Research Sheds Light on Gene Mutation's Role in Rare Tumors
Posted 21 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 – Mutations in a gene called DICER are associated with rare, seemingly unrelated ovarian, uterine and testicular cancers, a new study finds. The Canadian researchers said they were surprised to discover that the same fundamental mutation in the DICER gene was the common process underlying all these different cancers. The study was published in the Dec. 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "DICER is of great interest to cancer researchers," team leader Dr. David Huntsman, a genetic pathologist and director of the Ovarian Cancer Program of B.C. at the British Columbia Cancer Agency and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, said in a University of British Columbia news release. "There have been nearly 1,300 published studies about it in the last 10 years, but until now, it has not been known how the gene functions in relation to cancer," said ... Read more
Related support groups: Ovarian Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, Testicular Cancer
Vaccine to Treat Breast, Ovarian Cancers Shows Promise
Posted 8 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 8 – A vaccine that coaxes the body to attack tumor cells has shown promise in a small study of advanced breast and ovarian cancer patients, improving overall survival times and stopping the disease for a handful of breast cancer patients. The PANVAC vaccine, administered to 26 women through monthly shots, helped the body's immune system recognize proteins produced specifically by cancer cells, said study author Dr. James Gulley, director and deputy chief of the clinical trials group at the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. All of the women had breast or ovarian cancer that had spread to other organs and were considered "heavily pre-treated" with other therapies, with 21 having received at least three chemotherapy regimens. In addition to the four breast cancer patients whose disease stopped progressing, one woman with breast ... Read more
Related support groups: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prevention
Ovarian Tumors May Develop Years After Fertility Therapy
Posted 27 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Oct. 27 – Women who undergo ovarian stimulation to produce extra eggs for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) are at increased risk for a type of growth known as "borderline ovarian tumors," new research suggests. Borderline ovarian tumors are typically not aggressive, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Even if the tumor does spread, the vast majority of women survive borderline ovarian tumors. Even so, treating borderline ovarian tumors can require extensive surgery, explained lead researcher Flora van Leeuwen, head of the epidemiology department in The Netherlands Cancer Institute. For the study, researchers examined data from over 19,000 infertile women in the Netherlands who underwent ovarian stimulation prior to IVF and about 6,000 infertile women who did not undergo IVF. After 15 years of follow-up, the women who underwent ovarian stimulation were four times more ... Read more
Related support groups: Female Infertility, Ovarian Cancer, Follicle Stimulation
Mutant Gene That Ups Risk for Ovarian Cancer May Aid Survival
Posted 11 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 11 – Women who have the BRCA2 gene mutation that raises the risk for both breast and ovarian cancer are more likely to survive ovarian cancer than other women, a new study indicates. Those other women include both women with the BRCA1 mutation, also linked to a heightened risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and women without either mutation. Researchers said the explanation for the better survival rates with BRCA2 is that women with that mutation respond better to chemotherapy. "BRCA2 has a better survival compared to BRCA1 and wild type [typical] patients," said study author Da Yang, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. "When we further looked at the chemotherapy response, we find BRCA2 has a more beneficial response compared to the BRCA1 and wild type." The study is published in the Oct. 12 issue of the Journal of the American ... Read more
Related support groups: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer
Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms
Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Accutane, Depo-Provera, Prostate Cancer, Tamoxifen, Femara, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Medroxyprogesterone, Claravis, Fluorouracil
Depression After Cancer Keeps Some From Follow-Up Care
Posted 23 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 23 – New research suggests that depression and other factors may keep Hispanic women who have survived breast cancer from getting screenings that could pick up signs of colorectal or ovarian cancer. "Depression can make people more inattentive to potential risks to their health and more likely to ignore recommendations to reduce their risk," said study researcher Amelie G. Ramirez, professor and director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Ramirez and colleagues wanted to understand how problems like depression, which is more common among breast cancer patients than the general population, might affect cancer screening. Ten percent of new cancers appear in people who have already had the disease. The researchers surveyed 117 Hispanic breast cancer ... Read more
Related support groups: Depression, Cancer, Breast Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Ovarian Cancer
The War on Cancer Continues
Posted 20 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 20 – Forty years after President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act into law and pledged to put the country's resources to work to find better treatments for cancer, substantial victories have been scored against some, but not all, cancers. That's the core finding of a new report, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011, released Tuesday by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The National Cancer Act promised more funding for cancer research and prevention. Since then, death rates for many cancers have dropped significantly. From 1990 to 2007, death rates for all cancers combined dropped 22 percent for men and 14 percent for women, resulting in nearly 900,000 fewer deaths during that time, according to the report. Today, more than 68 percent of adults live five years or more after being diagnosed, up from 50 percent in 1975. The five-year survival rate for ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma, Cervical Cancer, Zelboraf, Ipilimumab, Vemurafenib, Yervoy
Women With BRCA Mutations Get Cancer Diagnosis Earlier Than Before
Posted 12 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Sept. 12 – Women with the genetic BRCA mutations, known to be at higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, are being diagnosed with those cancers earlier than previous generations, researchers now report. ''We found with some mathematical modeling about a 7.9-year difference between older and newer [generations]," said Dr. Jennifer Litton, a breast medical oncologist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. In the study, Litton analyzed the age at diagnosis of two generations of families in which there were BRCA-related cancers. Her research included 132 women diagnosed with a BRCA-positive breast cancer, 106 of whom had a family member of an earlier generation who had also been diagnosed with a BRCA-related breast or ovarian cancer. In the analysis, the median age for the older generation at diagnosis was 48 (half older, half younger). The ... Read more
Related support groups: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer
Trial Drug Shows Preliminary Promise Against Ovarian Cancer
Posted 22 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Aug. 21 – An experimental drug that's shown promise against ovarian cancer caused by mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes may also be effective against ovarian cancer not caused by those gene mutations, according to a new study. Olaparib blocks the activity of a protein called poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP). Both PARP and BRCA proteins are involved in DNA repair. Clinical trials of olaparib in patients with BRCA 1 and 2 mutations have yielded promising results, the study authors noted. In the new study, Canadian researchers say they're the first to show that olaparib reduces tumor size in patients with non-hereditary (sporadic) ovarian cancer, which is much more common than BRCA-mutated ovarian cancers. The phase 2 trial included 65 ovarian cancer patients who received 400 milligrams of olaparib twice daily for four weeks. Measurable tumor shrinkage was seen in 41 percent ... Read more
Related support groups: Ovarian Cancer
Page: 1 2 3 4 Next (58 results)
Ask a Question
Further Information
Related Condition Support Groups
Related Drug Support Groups
methotrexate, Avastin, cisplatin, Cytoxan, carboplatin, Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, Gemzar, paclitaxel, view more... Taxol, topotecan, gemcitabine, Platinol, Hycamtin, bevacizumab, Doxil, melphalan, Alkeran, doxorubicin, amifostine, etoposide, thiotepa, Methotrexate LPF Sodium, Hexalen, Cytoxan Lyophilized, Adriamycin RDF, Adriamycin PFS, Thioplex, Platinol-AQ, Carboplatin Novaplus, Folex PFS, Cosmegen, Paraplatin, Ethyol, doxorubicin liposomal, dactinomycin, Neosar, altretamine, Trexall, Toposar, Etopophos, VePesid, Onxol