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 and publications 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

March 2008

Mar 31, 2008 - "The West", AU
New drug being tested may put brakes on ovarian cancer
A treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer may be near, with Australian researchers developing a drug that stops or slows down the progression of the killer disease. Almost three-quarters of women with ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until the cancer has already spread and 80 per cent of them die within five years.

Mar 19, 2008 - "Shields Gazette", South Shields, UK
Talking about a silent killer
OVARIAN cancer is often called the 'silent killer', because many patients do not have symptoms until the disease is advanced and has already spread. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than all the other gynaecological cancers – cancers of the uterus, vagina, vulva and cervix – put together

Mar 28, 2008 - "Maclean's", Toronto, ON, CAN
Book chronicles woman's struggle to thwart genetic destiny: breast, ovarian cancer
At age 35, Jessica Queller was the kind of woman it's hard not to envy. Bright, funny and attractive, she was a TV writer with a great Hollywood gig and loads of friends. Yet one sunny morning, Queller suddenly faced an overwhelming life-or-death decision.

Mar 27, 2008 - "Medical News Today", UK
Valuable Cancer Diagnostic And Disease-Staging Tool Found In PET
The recent release of data by the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) showing that positron emission tomography (PET) produced scans revealing disease at a molecular level, which then caused physicians to change treatment plans for more than one-third of participating patients, has corroborated decades of nuclear medicine research.

Mar 19, 2008 - "MediNews",
Protein that Fuels Ovarian Cancer Identified and Inactivated by Researchers
A protein has been identified that stimulates blood vessel growth, accelerating ovarian cancer. However, its production can be suppressed by a tiny piece of RNA wrapped in a fatty nanoparticle.

Mar 18, 2008 - "Science Daily", Chevy Chase, MD
Clues To Prevent Spread Of Ovarian Cancer
A drug that blocks production of an enzyme that enables ovarian cancer to gain a foothold in a new site can slow the spread of the disease and prolong survival in mice, according to a study by researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center, but only if the drug is given early in the disease process.

Mar 18, 2008 - "The Wire", PGA Golf
Gogie Girl designs two hats to benefit breast and ovarian cancer research
Gogie Girl, manufacturers of stylish sporty headwear exclusively for women, announces that they have designed two hats specifically to support breast and ovarian cancer. Gogie Girl is offering a pink and white style from their Dottie line to bring awareness of breast cancer and a teal and white style for ovarian cancer.

Mar 14, 2008 - "SAWF News", Austin, TX
MMP inhibitors prevent spread of ovarian cancer if given in time
An enzyme known as MMP-2 is necessary for ovarian cancer to attach itself to the sites where it tends to spread. Several drugs known as MMP inhibitors (for example, marimastat or prinomastat) block the enzyme and prevent the tumor's ability to establish itself at sites beyond the ovary. But such MMP inhibitors, which were abandoned after they failed to extend survival in earlier clinical trials, have to be given before the cancer has spread.

Mar 14, 2008 - "Medical News Today", UK
Preventing Spread Of Ovarian Cancer
A drug that blocks production of an enzyme that enables ovarian cancer to gain a foothold in a new site can slow the spread of the disease and prolong survival in mice, according to a study by researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center, but only if the drug is given early in the disease process.

Mar 14, 2008 - "Today Show", AU
Ovarian cancer
"Although ovarian cancer is less common than breast cancer (which affects one in 13 women), because it is usually diagnosed in its advanced stages proportionally more women die from ovarian cancer," explains Dr Walker. While advances have been made in survival rates for breast cancer, there have been few recent breakthroughs in ovarian cancer, and survival rates have barely improved.

Mar 12, 2008 - "Yahoo News",
Grey's Anatomy star to open cancer centre
Patrick Dempsey has announced plans to open a facility that will benefit cancer patients in his home state of Maine. The 42-year-old created the centre in honour of his mother, Amanda, who was successfully treated for ovarian cancer at the hospital and is now in remission.

Mar 11, 2008 - "News-Medical.Net", Mona Vale , NSW, AU
Advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients with BRCA live longer, may respond better to treatment
Two abstracts underscoring the importance of testing for BRCA1/2 mutations in women with ovarian cancer were presented at this week's Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 39th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancers, by researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. In the first study, a multicenter research team led by M.D. Anderson found advanced- stage ovarian cancer patients with non-Ashkenazi Jewish BRCA (non-AJ BRCA) mutations experience longer progression-free and overall survival rates compared to those with sporadic ovarian cancer.

Mar 11, 2008 - "Netindia123",
Scientist suggest new test for accurate diagnosis of ovarian cancer
A researcher from Women and Infants'/Alpert Medical School suggest that testing women suspected of ovarian cancer for a combination of proteins, or biomarkers in the blood called HE4 and CA 125 can provide for an accurate diagnosis of the disease. Presently, there is no adequate diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. However CA 125 is the only blood test that can be used to help predict a woman's risk for ovarian cancer.

Mar 06, 2008 - "BBC News", UK
Ovarian cancer treatment promise
A team from the Institute of Cancer Research say PARP inhibitors have already been shown to shrink tumours in women with an inherited gene flaw. But lab tests suggest that some cancers in women without the fault could also be treated. The research is set to be discussed at an Ovarian Cancer Action conference in London this weekend.

Mar 04, 2008 - "American Digital Networks", Annapolis, MD
New Ovarian Cancer Test Now Available in Europe
European women facing "the silent killer" now have access to a breakthrough test to identify their risk of ovarian cancer. Fujirebio Diagnostics, the industry leader in biomarker assays, announces that its HE4 test is now CE marked, a mandatory conformity mark on many products placed on the single market in the European Economic Area (EEA). Now available for sale throughout the European Union, the simple blood test measures for a substance known as HE4, which many studies have shown can be elevated in epithelial ovarian cancers.

Mar 02, 2008 - "Home Town Life", Detroit, MI
Support groups allow teens to vent about cancer
Evan Graham has faith he'll have an answer someday, but in the meantime he's left here on Earth wondering why his mother was taken away from him so young. Sometimes the 14-year-old will get angry; sometimes still living in the Southfield house he shared with her will get too overwhelming and he'll have to spend the night at his grandmother's house in Detroit.

Mar 01, 2008 - "Lansing State Journal", Lansing, MI
New hope for those with ovarian cancer
Diane Dodge is the face of a trend in ovarian cancer: She's alive. After a late-stage diagnosis seven years ago, Dodge is doing what two top Lansing doctors say they're seeing more of in the past 10 years. "Patients are living longer with better quality of life," says Dr. Joseph Meunier, a gynecologist oncologist at the Sparrow Regional Cancer Center. "There are better chemos now. Ten years ago, there weren't many drugs to pick from and I can't think of many of my patients who lived beyond five years."