Ovarian Cancer

Jayanthi Lea, MD, FACOG, FACS, Patricia Duniven Fletcher Distinguished Professorship in Gynecological Oncology, associate professor of gynecologic oncology and program director for gynecologic oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, spoke with Healio about genetic variants linked to ovarian cancer, how the identification of these variants changed prevention and treatment strategies, and updated guidance on genetic testing that physicians should be aware of and share with their patients.

Researchers are preparing to launch a phase 3 trial evaluating a dendritic cell-based immunotherapy known as DCVAC after phase 2 data showed the addition of DCVAC to chemotherapy significantly improved OS among women with ovarian carcinoma.

Healio spoke with Jerome Strauss III, MD, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Virginia Commonwealth University, emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and chair of the Committee on the State of the Science in Ovarian Cancer Research, about the committee’s 2016 report on paradigm shifts in research and care, changes in the field since the report, and important areas that need more attention.

Ovarian cancer accounts for 2.5% of all cancer cases in women across the United States, making it the eighth most common cancer in women, according to data from the American Cancer Society and the World Cancer Research Fund.

Aspirin use was associated with a reduced risk for ovarian cancer, with daily and low-dose aspirin use linked to the most dramatic risk reductions, according to results of a pooled analysis.

A new two-stage ovarian cancer screening strategy that incorporates a carbohydrate antigen 125 blood test and Risk of Ovarian Cancer Algorithm calculation achieved high specificity with few false-positive results in a cohort of postmenopausal women, according to results of an 11-year study.