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


February 2006

Feb 28, 2006 - "Datamonitor", London, UK
Trial suggests efficacy of AMDL cancer test
AMDL's cancer test, DR-70, has been shown to more effective at detecting ovarian cancer than the standard diagnostic tool in an experiment carried out by German researchers.

Feb 28, 2006 - "Herald Sun News", Port Melbourne, AU
Ovarian cancer check-up plea
SOME of Melbourne's most influential women have gathered to promote awareness of ovarian cancer. Three-time Olympic swimmer Nicole Livingstone, track legend Raelene Boyle and police chief Christine Nixon met yesterday to launch Girlfriends' Catch-up and Check-up Week.

Feb 26, 2006 - "Bladen Journal", Elizabethtown, NC
Two-year-old tugs hearts, inspires others
Like most 2-year-old girls, Kassie Bagwell is a bundle of energy. She watches Dora the Explorer. She loves to play with her twin sister, Kaylee, and her 4-year-old brother, Brandon. From watching Kassie play with her toys in the middle of her living room floor, most people would not be able to tell that just a few short months ago, she was a very sick little girl. Kassie has cancer.

Feb 24, 2006 - "RxPg News",
Latest blood testing technology for detecting epithelial ovarian cancer
"Ovarian cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to detect, especially in the earliest stages when it is more treatable," Yale University Office of Cooperative Research today announced that it has granted an exclusive license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) for the commercialization of the university's blood testing technology for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In the United States, EOC is the fourth most common cancer in women, and the leading cause of gynecologic cancer death. EOC affects approximately 25,000 women each year, and more than 16,000 will die from the disease.

Feb 23, 2006 - "The Honolulu Advertiser", Honolulu, HI
Ovarian cancer still hard to beat
Before she died last month, Coretta Scott King turned to a Mexican alternative medicine clinic for treatment — never begun — of her stage III ovarian cancer. Whatever her reasons, with that move, the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. spotlighted a grim truth, say cancer experts: With even the best mainstream medical care, the odds for fighting advanced cases of the disease are poor.

Feb 22, 2006 - "CBS News", NYC, NY
Six Serious Medical Symptoms
Like red-light warnings on the dashboard, the human body sends out a flare when something's awry. Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness -- those are some familiar medical symptoms.

Feb 22, 2006 - "My DNA - Revolution Health Group", Washington D.C.
Aspirin fights ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is usually treated with surgery, followed by a chemotherapy drug called cisplatin. Unfortunately, the cancer cells can adapt, and cisplatin isn't effective when the cancer returns. A new study from The Ohio State University shows that combining cisplatin with an aspirin-like compound makes the recurrent cells less resistant to the chemotherapy.

Feb 20, 2006 - "Reno Gazette-Journal", Reno, NV
Northern Nevada tech news
Officials of Reno's Lifeline Biotechnologies Inc. have announced that the company has successfully completed the initial testing of the OvaScope in surgical procedures. This micro endoscope has been designed by Lifeline Biotechnologies to be used by physicians to assist in the early detection of ovarian cancer.

Feb 20, 2006 - "The Day", New London, CT
Second Opinion, Second Chance
Diminutive Rosalia Soruco will not be deterred. So what if she is 90 and has lost the sight in her right eye? And too bad that her legs are not as strong, or steady, as they used to be. The 4-foot-11-inch Soruco, who immigrated to the United States in 1968 from her native Argentina, is a fighter and a believer. Which is why she wasn't ready to give up in the spring of 2000, when doctors diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer in the then 84-year-old.

Feb 20, 2006 - "The Famuan", Florida University, Tallahassee, FL
Ovarian cancer; silent but deadly
No detection, no distinct symptoms and a low possibility for survival; it is known as the silent killer. The American Cancer Society indicated that ovarian cancer is the seventh leading cause of death for women and the fourth leading cause of cancer death. According to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, ovarian cancer is developed from germ, sex cord-stromal and surface epithelial cells in or on the ovaries.

Feb 19, 2006 - "Sun-Sentinel", Fort Lauderdale, FL
Recognizing the warning signs of ovarian cancer
The difficulty of treating ovarian cancer in advanced stages, when it is usually discovered, is driving research efforts to detect the disease earlier. "What we need more than anything is a screening test for ovarian cancer that women can get routinely in the course of their normal care," said Susan Lowell Butler, executive director of the D.C. Cancer Consortium and co-founder of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, an advocacy group. At least two academic research teams, one at New York University and one at Yale, have been trying to devise such a test, but neither has achieved regular clinical application.

Feb 17, 2006 - "News-Medical.Net ",
Ovarian cancer responds to aspirin and chemotherapy drug cisplatin
A new study using ovarian cancer cell lines shows promise in treating the deadly disease by combining the chemotherapy drug cisplatin with an aspirin-like compound to make recurrent cancer cells less resistant to the chemotherapy.

Feb 19, 2006 - "Bella On Line",
Ovarian Cancer and Tea
Do you drink tea? If the answer is yes, you may not know all the benefits tea has for you. One of the newest uses for tea, especially black tea, is as a preventive for ovarian cancer.

Feb 17, 2006 - "Times Community", Baton Rouge, LA
Coping With the Diagnosis First Step
My gynecologist waited for me to open my eyes in the recovery room. Laurie, Im sorry. Its cancer. No! I wanted to scream as I laid in mute disbelief. It was supposed to be a benign cyst. Her hand rested on my arm as she sat with me. She had already informed my family, patiently answering every question, accepting their shock and grief.

Feb 15, 2006 - "Doctor Guide",
TopAbstracts in Ovarian Cancer
TopAbstracts™ in Ovarian Cancer are the abstracts most highly rated/most read by nearly 300,000 physicians who received a Doctor's Guide™ newsletter or visited a website Powered by Doctor's Guide™ in the past 28 days. Over 2000 peer-reviewed journals are covered by TopAbstracts.

Feb 15, 2006 - "999 Today", UK
Cauliflower and broccoli boost cancer protection
Naturally occurring chemicals found in certain vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, can enhance DNA repair in cells, perhaps helping to stop them becoming cancerous, a new report suggests. The researchers, based at Georgetown University in Washington DC, have shown that a compound called I3C found in these vegetables, and a chemical called genistein found in soy beans, both increase the levels of vital DNA repair proteins in cancer cells.

Feb 14, 2006 - "The GJ Sentinel", Grand Junction, CO
Aspirin Derivative May Treat Recurrence of Ovarian Cancer
Women who are successfully treated for ovarian cancer often have a relapse of the disease, which becomes resistant to the cisplatin chemotherapy that worked before. Now, researchers have discovered that the new drug NCX-4016, an aspirin derivative, re-sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapy with cisplatin and also kills ovarian cancer cells.

Feb 13, 2006 - "Park Slope Courier", Brooklyn, N.Y
To Your Health: Assess Your Risk of Developing Cancer
More than nine million people in the United States have a history of cancer. With this statistic in mind, many Americans worry that they too are at risk for developing the disease.

Feb 12, 2006 - "The Fiji Times", Fiji
Study finds kava prevents two types of cancer
A NEW research has found that kava (yaqona) is a cure for two types of cancer. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the Laboratoire de Biologie Moleculaire du Cancer, a medical school in Luxembourgh, found that yaqona compounds inhibit the activation of a nuclear factor important in the production of cancer cells.


Feb 10, 2006 - "Star Tribune", Minneapolis, MN
Anne Rislove 'tried to find a silver lining'
Anne Rislove, of Edina, a mathematician and former business owner, was an early proponent of taking an active role in the treatment of her ovarian cancer.

Feb 09, 2006 - "Ledger-Enquirer", Columbus, GA
King's cancer fight
Coretta Scott King left us more than the legacy we've been reminded of since her death last week. Some of us inhaled when we heard she died in Mexico, and sometime before we exhaled we heard the phrase "ovarian cancer." That's a horrifying disease that, in a sense, creeps into a woman's life. By the time she learns what's wrong, it's often too late.

Feb 09, 2006 - "Cancer Consultants",
Surgical Removal of Cancer Spread to the Diaphragm Improves Survival in Ovarian Cancer
According to a recent article published in Gynecologic Oncology, the removal of cancer spread to the diaphragm in women with ovarian cancer significantly improves survival. Approximately 25,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Regardless of the stage (extent of spread) of ovarian cancer, the removal of as much cancer as possible is associated with improved survival. Specifically, women who have no residual cancer mass larger than 1 centimeter in diameter following surgery (referred to as “optimal cytoreduction”) tend to have better survival than those with a larger mass of residual cancer.

Feb 08, 2006 - "Cancer Consultants",
Doxil®/Eloxatin® May Provide a Treatment Option in Advanced, Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
According to a recent article published in Gynecologic Oncology, the chemotherapy combination consisting of Doxil® (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) plus Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin) may provide an effective treatment option for patients with advanced ovarian cancer that has progressed or recurred following treatment including a platinum chemotherapy agent.

Feb 07, 2006 - " Cancer Consultants",
Study Confirms Better Quality of Life with Paraplatin® than Platinol® for Ovarian Cancer
Treatment of ovarian cancer with the chemotherapy drugs Paraplatin® (carboplatin) and Taxol® (paclitaxel) results in better quality of life than treatment with Platinol® (cisplatin) and Taxol. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S.; according to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 22,220 new cases were diagnosed in 2005. Over the past 10 years, platinum-based chemotherapy regimens have become the mainstay of treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

Feb 06, 2006 - "About.com",
Ovarian Cancer... The Disease that Whispers
Before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, many women notice vague symptoms, but dismiss them as something else, like the change of life or PMS. If symptoms persist, they need to be evaluated by a doctor. Ovarian cancer is such a deadly form of cancer because it's a sneaky disease that can creep right up on you and not give bold, noticeable symptoms. Learn the symptoms of ovarian cancer today! If you have any persistant symptoms, please see your doctor.

Feb 01, 2006 - " iVillage", UK
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer occurring in women, with about 7,000 new cases being diagnosed in the UK each year. The number of women suffering from the disease has risen by 19 per cent over the last 20 years. Most ovarian cancer develops after the menopause with half of ovarian cancers being found in women over the age of 65.

Feb 01, 2006 - "KHNL TV - CH 8", Honolulu, HI
Surgeon's Area of Specialty Affects Ovarian Cancer Results
Hospital volume and surgeon experience don't affect the risk of death following surgery for ovarian cancer, but a surgeon's area of specialty does have some impact, new research finds. The first study looked at short-term (60-day) and longer term (two-year) death rates and overall survival for 2,952 women, age 65 and older, who had surgery for primary ovarian cancer between 1992 and 1999.

Feb 01, 2006 - "USA Today",
Cancer care called uneven - Broad study finds gaps
Although cancer patients usually receive good medical treatment, their care varies widely across the country and even within cities. In a study published in today's Journal of Clinical Oncology, breast and colorectal cancer patients were given nearly all of the therapies recommended by experts.