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


November 2005

Nov 30, 2005 - "Daily Herald", Chicago, IL
Teacher saves best lesson for end of life
A longtime Carmel High School teacher who died this week is being remembered as a model of courage. April Muellner, 63, died Monday after an eight-year battle with ovarian cancer. A Wauconda resident for 35 years, Muellner taught freshman and sophomore religion for the past 12 years at the Catholic high school in Mundelein. She also coached the school’s varsity soccer and volleyball teams during her tenure.

Nov 29, 2005 - "Science Daily", Chevy Chase, MD
Major Ovarian Cancer Clinical Study Announced At Yale Using Combination Drug Therapy
A clinical study of ovarian cancer initiated by investigators at Yale School of Medicine will combine the anti-cancer drug phenoxodiol with docetaxel for women with recurrent ovarian cancer. "Advanced-stage ovarian cancer is one of the most devastating forms of cancer, with half of the women diagnosed with it dying within five years," said principal investigator Thomas Rutherford, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale and a member of the Yale Cancer Center. "One of the imperatives facing doctors who treat these patients is to find ways to restore sensitivity to drugs such as taxanes once they start to lose that sensitivity."

Nov 29, 2005 - "PR Web", Ferndale, WA
"The Last Mango" Producer, Mara Link, Working With the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC)
Update on the film "The Last Mango" The producer, Mara Link, is in the process of working with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC), one of our charities we support, in our efforts to raise public awareness for Ovarian Cancer. An MPM Productions in association with Paragon Productions presents a John Calvin Doyle film film "The Last Mango". "The Last Mango" AKA "The Mango" a dramatic suspense Produced by Mara S Link and MPM Films dramatic thriller, currently production in Baltimore Washington DC Virginia area and listed in Hollywood Reporter, Variety and The Frederick Post.

Nov 29, 2005 - "KCCI - TV 8", Des Moines, IA
NIH Attempts To Develop Ovarian Cancer Screening
Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because often it's not detected until it's too late. But a new research effort could change that. There are mammograms to screen for breast cancer and Pap smears to check for cervical cancer, but there is no reliable test to detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages. Now researchers at the National Institutes of Health are conducting a study that could lead to one, reported WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.

Nov 29, 2005 - "The Marshfield News Herald", Marshfield, WI
Point-based group to begin talcum powder, ovarian cancer link study
A Stevens Point-based think tank is working to solve several controversial medical theories that have stumped doctors and patients for years. Most of Meta-Analysis Research Group's research is independently financed by members. They work on projects that are of specific interest as time and resources permit. MRG is part-time work for the doctors involved, said Dr. Michael Huncharek, the director of MRG, who is also a radiation oncologist at the Marshfield Clinic.

Nov 27, 2005 - "northjersey.com",West Paterson, NJ
One light lit, another expired
There would be plenty of poignancy in the holiday special "The Littlest Light on the Christmas Tree" even without the addition of some real-life drama. But this computer-generated cartoon about a burnt Christmas tree bulb that lights up because of the sheer faith of those around it (available on DVD and making the U.S. cable rounds in syndication for the first time in December) has a sad story behind it: Princeton resident Peter Lewis, who created it, lost the light of his life shortly after production wrapped in 2003. "In the last year, though we didn't know it, my wife, Lynne, had ovarian cancer," Lewis says. "Just as we finished, that summer, I found out."

Nov 25, 2005 - "Oldham Evening Chronicle", UK
Stars join fight against cancer
OLDHAM’S twin stars of soccer and soap will help launch a pioneering cancer scheme in the borough next week. Manchester United’s Paul Scholes and “Coronation Street” actress Shobna Gulati, are to kick-start the Cancer Family History Service on Wednesday. The initiative, which is being led by Oldham Primary Care Trust, is aimed at people whose relatives have been diagnosed with breast, bowel, ovarian or womb cancer.

Nov 25, 2005 - "NBC TV - CH 4", Washington, DC
NIH Attempts To Develop Ovarian Cancer Screening
Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because often it's not detected until it's too late. But a new research effort could change that. There are mammograms to screen for breast cancer and pap smears to check for cervical cancer, but there is no reliable test to detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages. Now researchers at the National Institutes of Health are conducting a study that could lead to one.

Nov 25, 2005 - "Toronto Star Newspapers Limited", Toronto, Canada
Ovarian cancer: A tale of courage
It was the evening of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, when the phone rang. My ex-wife and now good friend Judy was calling to say that she was feeling very ill and would not be able to join me our daughter Aliza and my partner Sue for the traditional dinner. Within 10 days we had the terrible news: Judy had ovarian cancer. It was stage 2C: microscopic cancer cells had spread to adjacent tissues.

Nov 23, 2005 - "Doctor Guide",
TopAbstracts in Ovarian Cancer 11/23/2005
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.

Nov 23, 2005 - "News Target",
Ovarian cancer may be prevented by ginkgo biloba
In a population study of 600 women with ovarian cancer, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that the herbal supplement known as ginkgo biloba can help to prevent the development of cancer cells in the ovaries.

Nov 20, 2005 - "KVAL TV - TV 13", Eugene, OR
Cancer Weapon
A new targeted, "silver bullet" drug is being given to women with ovarian cancer to improve their survival as part of a new study by an Oregon Health & Science University researcher and surgical oncologist.

Nov 18, 2005 - "Altoona Mirror", Altoona, PA
Ovarian cancer often caught too late because symptoms are vague
Life can be one unexpected turn after another, taking a person on a journey of self-discovery. Helen Grindall, 69, of Fostoria, a section of Tyrone, has learned something important - she's tough, courageous and glad to be alive. In 1977, Grindall had brain surgery to remove a tumor. Ten years later, she was back on the operating room table, this time having a hysterectomy because of ovarian cancer.

Nov 17, 2005 - "The Mirror", UK
OVARIAN CANCER: THE HIDDEN KILLER
OVARIAN CANCER OFTEN GOES UNDIAGNOSED UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE, BUT A NEW TRIAL MAY LEAD TO A NATIONAL SCREENING PROGRAMME THAT COULD SAVE THOUSANDS OF LIVES. Being told you have cancer is devastating, and ovarian cancer is more frightening than most because it kills 71 per cent of sufferers. But it needn't be this way. Like most cancers, it is highly treatable if caught quickly. Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common among women and affects 7,000 a year, compared to 41,000 who get breast cancer. But while two-thirds of breast-cancer patients can expect to survive for at least another 20 years, ovarian cancer is often diagnosed when it is already too late.

Nov 16, 2005 - "eMax Health", Hickory, NC
Molecular Differences Between Low-Grade and High-Grade Ovarian Cancers
A new study suggests that ovarian tumors classified as serous borderline or low malignant potential (LMP) are not early precursors in the development of aggressive ovarian cancer, but may instead be part of an entirely different class of tumors. Furthermore, genes that were identified in this study as being expressed, or active, in these different classes of tumors could help identify targets for more specific diagnostics and therapies to treat this disease.

Nov 16, 2005 - "Yahoo Business",
EntreMed Figures Optimal Panzem NCD Dose
Drug developer EntreMed Inc. said Wednesday that it has established an optimal dose for its experimental cancer treatment Panzem NCD following the completion of two early-stage clinical trials. The dosing and treatment schedule will be used going forward in planning multiple mid-stage clinical trials. The company did not disclose the amount of the dose. The limiting factor in establishing a safe maximum dose of Panzem NCD was fatigue, the company said. The company has Food and Drug Administration orphan drug status for Panzem NCD in the treatment of ovarian cancer and multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.

Nov 15, 2005 - "Hugin Online",
Updated Clinical Studies Show Drug Promise for Treatment of Advanced Ovarian Cancer
At the AACR/NCI/EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics-OXiGENE, Inc., a leading developer of biopharmaceutical compounds to treat cancer and certain ophthalmologic diseases, today announced the presentation of new and positive patient response data from an ongoing Phase Ib clinical trial evaluating OXiGENE's Combretastatin A4P (CA4P) in combination therapy with either carboplatin, paclitaxel or both treatments combined. The data indicate a 67 per cent response rate among a sub-population of evaluable patients with advanced, inoperable ovarian cancer who were treated with a combination of CA4P and chemotherapy, all of whom had failed previous, alternate cancer treatments. OXiGENE believes that the patient response rate observed to date provides an early indication of the potential success of this therapeutic combination as it enters a multi-center, international, Phase II clinical trial.

Nov 14, 2005 - "Tallahassee Democrat", Tallahassee, TN
Ovarian cancer often escapes detection until it's too late
For Connie Foster's symptoms of ovarian cancer, doctors recommended a colonoscopy, found high blood pressure and diagnosed pneumonia. Two weeks before her diagnosis, the Dayton, Ohio, woman asked a doctor if she might have a bad gall bladder. Or appendix. Or stomach. "I'm just grasping at straws," she said.

Nov 13, 2005 - "Medical News Today",
Gene expression profile helps predict chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer patients
A newly identified gene expression profile could help predict how patients with advanced ovarian cancer will respond to chemotherapy treatment. Described in a study in the November 1, 2005 issue of The Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the new findings further establish an important role for microarray gene profiling as a predictor of clinical outcome in ovarian cancer, and could eventually provide clinicians with insights into the mechanisms of drug resistance.

Nov 13, 2005 - "News Telegraph", UK
Daily beer is a 'draught of good health'
First it was chocolate and then it was red wine. Now new research reveals a beer a day is healthy, too. An American scientist, Fred Stevens, has discovered cancer-fighting properties in the micronutrient Xanthohumol which is found in hops. The compound, which helps to give beer its aroma and flavour, is believed to help to prevent breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer cells.

Nov 12, 2005 - "KABC TV - CH 7", Los Angeles, CA
Gingko Biloba' and Ovarian Cancer
Researchers say the popular herbal supplement " Gingko Biloba" may help lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Doctors at Brigham And Women's Hospital in Boston say women who took Gingko over a six-month period had a 60-percent lower risk of ovarian cancer. Experiments showed a low dosage of Gingko caused ovarian cancer cells to stop growing.

Nov 07, 2005 - "The National Women's Health Information Center", Fairfax, VA
Ovarian Cancer Screening Methods Inaccurate
Two methods used to screen women for suspected ovarian cancer may identify too many false-positive test results to be useful, researchers conclude. The tests -- transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) and a screen for a protein biomarker called CA-125 -- can be used alone or together and do find cancers, a new study shows. But they also falsely identify too many 'cancers' where malignancy is not present. These false-positive results often lead to unnecessary surgeries, the researchers report in the Nov. 15 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Nov 05, 2005 - "Ottawa Sun", Ottawa, Canada
Local Cancer Survivor finds puzzles in Life
I'M JUST working on Paul Newman," Monik Robichaud says when she answers the phone. Robichaud isn't actually working on Paul Newman, of course. Instead, she's at her Nepean townhouse, building one of her BioQuotes about Paul Newman, stopping to talk about how crossword puzzles -- finally building her own, not just solving someone else's -- helped her recuperate after undergoing a complete hysterectomy three years ago to stave off Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

Nov 05, 2005 - "KWWL TV - CH 7", Waterloo, IA
Supplement Helps Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women. But, a new study shows the herbal supplement Ginkgo Bilbao appears to lower the risk of developing the disease.

Nov 04, 2005 - "Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited",
Gene Expression Profile Helps Predict Chemotherapy Response in Ovarian Cancer Patients
A newly identified gene expression profile could help predict how patients with advanced ovarian cancer will respond to chemotherapy treatment. Described in a study in the November 1, 2005 issue of The Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the new findings further establish an important role for microarray gene profiling as a predictor of clinical outcome in ovarian cancer, and could eventually provide clinicians with insights into the mechanisms of drug resistance.

Nov 04, 2005 - "Onlypunjab", UK
Gene profile may predict chemo response
Boston scientists say a newly identified gene expression profile might help predict how patients with advanced ovarian cancer will respond to chemotherapy. (The study is described in the current issue of The Journal of Clinical Oncology.)

Nov 03, 2005 - "PR Newswire", New York, NY
Clinical Data on Thalidomide Reported in Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Celgene Corporation (Nasdaq: CELG) announced today that preliminary clinical data was reported at the XXIII Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York City, New York on Thursday, November 3, 2005 comparing the efficacy and safety of the combination of thalidomide and topotecan vs. topotecan being studied in a Phase II Clinical study for the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer in patients who had received prior treatments.

Nov 02, 2005 - "Food Production Daily",
Gingko biloba may reduce ovarian cancer risk
The herbal gingko biloba may lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer, US researchers say. A Boston-based team, led by Dr Bin Ye and Dr Daniel Cramer at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, studied a population of women that included 600 ovarian cancer cases and 640 healthy, matched controls.

Nov 01, 2005 - "Evening Post", Nottingham, UK
My Victory In The War On Cancer
When Susan Taylor agreed to take part in a pioneering medical trial, little did she realise it would help save her life. In 2001 Mrs Taylor, 58, was sent a letter from the local health service asking if she would participate in a trial ovarian cancer-screening programme at Nottingham City Hospital.

Nov 01, 2005 - "Evening Telegraph ", Derbyshire, UK
Helping To Cure A Killer
There are 6,900 new cases of ovarian cancer every year and 70 per cent of women who contract it will die. The disease is therefore a real cause for concern but, thanks to 15,000 women in Derby, a breakthrough could be on the horizon. They are all taking part in a national screening campaign which yesterday saw experts visit the Derby City General Hospital to celebrate a real landmark. Lucy Rees reports.

Nov 01, 2005 - "Evening Chronicle", Newcastle, UK
Beating the silent killer
Thousands of North East women have taken part in the world's largest ovarian cancer screening trial. Almost 18,000 women are playing a critical role in helping halve the number of deaths caused by the condition, dubbed the "silent killer". A research base has been established at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where women are tested for the cancer.

Nov 01, 2005 - "BBC News", UK
Thousands in ovarian cancer study
Nearly 17,000 women from across Nottinghamshire have taken part in one of the biggest ovarian cancer trials. Over the past four years, the study at Nottingham's City Hospital has focused on 1,607 women aged between 50 and 74. It aims to find out if a national screening programme for ovarian cancer should be introduced in a similar way to breast and cervical cancer. At the moment more than 70% of ovarian cancer patients die, but more than 90% survive if it is detected early enough.

Nov 01, 2005 - "Medical News Today", UK
Lack of Gene Expression Associated with Ovarian Cancer
The expression of two specific genes is almost completely downregulated in ovarian cancer tumours. An extensive analysis of gene expression in ovarian cancer tumour cells has revealed this important finding, which should be an aid to early diagnosis. The insights gained by the research at the Medical University of Vienna with the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF are also central to a recently launched EU project aimed at optimising ovarian cancer diagnosis.