Latest Medical & OCAN News Articles

The Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Nevada wants to help extend your knowledge by keeping you informed about the latest happenings in this area of your health. They consist of articles not only about medical breakthroughs, but of success, hope, and actions. The following links are to articles for the current month, that have appeared in newspapers, publications and TV stations from sources throughout both the U.S. and world wide, and are available with on-line editions. Each listing has a short opening paragraph of the article. The listing of the links are by date published, with the most recent found listed first.

For archived articles prior to the current calendar month, please see: Ovarian Cancer Archived News

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March 2007

Mar 31, 2007 - "Apples For Health", Ardmore, OK
Discovery May Lead To New Cancer Therapies
Canadian researchers have made a discovery that might lead to new non-toxic, targeted therapies for metastatic breast and ovarian cancers. The researchers at the University of British Columbia found a protein called podocalyxin -- which had previously shown to be a predictor of metastatic breast cancer -- changes the shape and adhesive quality of tumor cells, affecting their ability to grow and metastasize.

Mar 30, 2007 - "Toledo Blade", Toledo, OH
Adversity reveals uncommon strength of spirit
A COUPLE of years ago I got what I can only hope will be my first and last cancer scare. There's nothing quite like an initial trip to the oncologist to bring one's priorities into sharp focus really fast. Just raising the "C-word" as a possibility with a patient automatically provokes powerful emotions. Just the suggestion of cancer, however remote or indistinct, invites all sorts of dire conclusions. The scare of ovarian cancer did it to me.

Mar 29, 2007 - "Medical News Today",
Women Without Regular Medical Care At Increased Risk Of Ovarian Cancer
In North America, ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer and is the leading cause of death among women with gynecological cancer. The high mortality is in part due to the difficulty of detecting and diagnosing this condition at an early stage.

Mar 28, 2007 - "PBS", Arlington, VA
Researchers Seek Ways to Find Early Signs of Cancer
Biomarkers, changes in a protein that indicate the progression of a disease, hold promise for different fields of medicine. NewsHour health correspondent Susan Dentzer reports on the use of biomarkers in the early detection of cancer.

Mar 27, 2007 - "MedPage Today", CAN
Ovarian Cancer Risk Lower With Regular Medical Care
Women who put off regular pelvic exams have a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of ovarian cancer, according to researchers here. The risk of ovarian cancer was 3.9 times higher among women who didn't have regular pelvis exams during the five years before diagnosis than among matched controls, found Haim Abenhaim, M.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, now at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal.

Mar 26, 2007 - "Herald On-Line", Rock Hill, SC
Study yields details on cells that lead to malignancy
Tools developed to decipher the human genetic code are being turned on cancer and yielding previously unimaginable detail of the missteps cells take on the road to malignancy.

Mar 24, 2007 - "Womens-Health-Weekly", Atlanta, GA
Expert centers prove cost-effective in managing ovarian cancer
A new study finds that while "expert centers" with extensive experience in managing cancer have higher overall costs, the approach is more cost-effective over time than referring patients to a less experienced medical center.

Mar 14, 2007 - "The Hartford Courant", Hartford, CT
Recalling Battle With Cancer, DeLauro Makes Pitch For Sick Leave Law
Rosa DeLauro usually chooses her public words carefully, and her emotions flare only when she's trying to make a carefully considered point. Tuesday, she threw away her script. The 3rd District congresswoman peered at an outdoor rally of 300 activists - including 30 who boarded buses from Connecticut in the middle of the night to be there. "I was the chief of staff for Sen. (Chris) Dodd. I told him I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Mar 14, 2007 - "The News & Observer", Raleigh, NC
UNC helps draw map of cancer
The scientists in Chuck Perou's laboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill plot cancer genes like towns and roads on a map -- coordinates that one day will result in a cancer atlas guiding doctors to smarter treatments. In the next few weeks, Perou, a cell biologist and geneticist, will lead his research team in an analysis of hundreds of tissue samples taken from lung, brain and ovarian cancer tumors.

Mar 14, 2007 - "The Daily Telegraph", AU
Ovarian cancer treatment 'promising'
A TRIAL of an experimental ovarian cancer treatment had "exceeded expectations", paving the way for further testing, Biotech company Prima BioMed said today. The company said four of 21 patients with late-stage ovarian cancer in the trial had a positive clinical response or stabilisation of the disease.

Mar 13, 2007 - "Medical News Today", UK/Mexico
Potential For Diagnosis, Imaging, Treatment And Prognosis In Ovarian Cancer
Researchers have identified markers unique to the cells of blood vessels running through ovarian tumors. The finding, while preliminary, could one day improve screening, diagnosis and treatment for this disease.

Mar 11, 2007 - "NewsDay", Long Island, NY
Giving a lesson in life
Bernadette Gordon had hoped to be an English teacher by now, planning out lessons for Long Island teenagers. Instead, she's planning her own funeral. Gordon, 48, has ovarian cancer - an insidious disease that's hard to detect early, making it one of the deadliest cancers a woman can have.

Mar 11, 2007 - "KUTV - CH 2", Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Woman Proves Doctors Wrong By Staying Alive
It takes a special person to face adversity and truly overcome it. But that is exactly what Pat Barker does every single day. Pat is a blind -- but that doesn't keep her from making a difference. However, just a few years later in a cruel twist of fate, Pat was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Doctors told her that she only had months to live.

Mar 11, 2007 - "Medical News Today", UK/Mexico
Ovarian Cancer May Mimic Fallopian Tube Formation
A new study suggests that ovarian cancer cells form by hijacking a developmental genetic process normally used to form fallopian tubes. Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Ovarian Cancer Institute discovered that the protein, PAX8, is involved in the development of fallopian tubes and is present in ovarian cancer cells, but not in normal ovarian tissue.

Mar 10, 2007 - "e Max Health", Hickory, NC
Researchers Identify Ovarian Cancer Biomarkers
Researchers have identified markers unique to the cells of blood vessels running through ovarian tumors. The finding, while preliminary, could one day improve screening, diagnosis and treatment for this disease.

Mar 10, 2007 - "My Dr.", AU
Ovarian Cancer - What You Need To Know
Ovarian cancer is cancer of a woman’s ovary or ovaries. The ovaries are located on either side of the uterus (womb) and produce eggs and female sex hormones. Ovarian cancer most commonly affects women who've passed their menopause, but younger women can also be affected.

Mar 10, 2007 - "Herald Tribune", SW FL
Love a major ingredient for these quilters
Every Monday, passionate quilters gather at The Wellness Community in front of sewing machines or zigzag scissors to make their wares. It's like showing love through cotton, with different patterns. Betty Foglio can call the quilts that, because she and her fellow quilters make it so. This quilting circle works on different kinds of projects, such as door prizes for Wellness Community fundraisers or donations to cancer patients

Mar 08, 2007 - "ReHab Publications", Overland Park, KS
Breakthrough Vaccine to Treat Chemo-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Cancer Treatment Centers of America announced today its plans to launch a new cancer vaccine therapy that expands treatment options for thousands of women with advanced stage ovarian cancer. This innovative treatment will be offered by Cancer Treatment Centers of America and developed by AVAX Technologies, Inc.

Mar 05, 2007 - "Yahoo - Business",
Ciphergen Presents Data Validating Ovarian Cancer Triage Test
Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIPH - News) presented data from a prospective clinical trial demonstrating that its ovarian triage test correctly identified 84 percent of the ovarian cancer cases, compared to only 33 percent identified using standard diagnosis methods without the test. The poster presentation was made at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 38th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer in San Diego, Calif. on Sunday March 4, 2007.

Mar 01, 2007 - "Herts Advitiser", UK
The tell-tale signs
MARCH is Ovarian Cancer month in the UK, and staff at Grove House in St Albans are urging women to become more aware of the disease, its causes and symptoms. Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in the UK with around 6,900 new cases each year.

Mar 01, 2007 - "Carroll County Comet", Delphi, IN
Tri Kappa donates to cancer causes
On Feb. 12, Norm and Jane Miller, representing the Delphi chapter of Tri Kappa, presented Don Woodley of Ovar'Coming with a check for over $5,300. Ovar'Coming is a statewide education and resource organization which provides educational programs and research grants in the fight against ovarian cancer.

Mar 01, 2007 - "Belfast Telegraph", Belfast, Ireland
Ulster charity that helped me deal with cancer
An Ulster woman is today giving her backing to the province's only ovarian cancer charity which she credits with giving her support to beat the deadly disease. Pearl Jones was speaking today ahead of the launch of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month - a potentially life saving initiative being run by the founder of Julie Clarke's Angels of Hope.

Mar 01, 2007 - "Boston Herald", Boston, MA
Ovations Hits ‘Below the Belt’ to Give Those At Risk a Fighting Chance
Patty Franchi-Flaherty has founded, out of personal experience, Ovations for the Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing ovarian cancer research and awareness. “Anyone who claims that ‘what you don’t know can’t hurt you,’ I can easily prove wrong,” she says.