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


September 2005


"The White House", Washington, DC
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
proclaiming September 2005 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in the United States. Each year, thousands of women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and thousands die from the disease. During National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we strive to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and promote early detection and treatment of this disease.


Sep 29, 2005 - "BYU News Net", SLC, UT
BYU students unite to fight cancer
Amy Sawaya knows the pain involved in losing a loved one to cancer. But, she said she also knows the joy of serving others who have been diagnosed with the disease. Sawaya, a 19-year-old student majoring in corporate finance, said she joined BYU’s Cancer Awareness Group as a way to serve others — the way others served her own mother when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Sep 29, 2005 - "Molalla Pioneer", Molalla, OR
Climbing for a cause
As a kid, Joan Zuber enjoyed climbing for the sheer joy of it. On Sept. 16-17, she climbed for a cause. The 1963 Molalla Buckeroo Queen raised $1,140 “with very little effort” to fund research on ovarian cancer at a Climb for Life event in Utah. The event raised more than $80,000 total.

Sep 28, 2005 - "The Leaf-Chronicle", Clarksville, TN
Ovarian cancer treatments are being refined, improved
The most common treatment for ovarian cancer is surgery followed by chemotherapy. Both Susan Pojanowski and Marilyn Cherry had surgery to remove ovarian cancer, followed by four to five months of chemotherapy. Both also had to deal with the cancer's return, less than two years after their original diagnoses.

Sep 28, 2005 - "The Leaf-Chronicle", Clarksville, TN
Ovarian cancer: A silent killer
Survivor tells of being surprised when a doctor diagnosed her - September is ovarian cancer awareness month. In three days, September is history. Has anyone told you about the warning signs of the deadly cancer? Have you heard a public service announcement about an ovarian cancer support group, or seen advertisements for a rally to raise cash to find a cure for the dread disease? Unfortunately, no, no and no, says Susan Pojanowski, a 54-year-old ovarian cancer survivor who found out last week that the cancer, in remission for 10 months, has returned.

Sep 27, 2005 - "Metro West Daily News", Boston, MA
Pop for pap: Music tour puts focus on cancer testing
"There continue to be problems with education when it comes to female cancers," Ball said. "Women are aware of breast cancer but when it comes to cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer they may not realize the importance of getting tested or even the symptoms."

Sep 27, 2005 - "e Max Health",
Subtle Signs of Ovarian Cancer Can Combine To Become Serious Symptoms
Ovarian cancer is the second-most common gynecological cancer in women, but it is the most deadly of cancers. Much like pancreatic cancer, its symptoms are subtle and sometimes are not recognized until it is too late for effective treatment. "Most women who are diagnosed with it are already in the advanced stages, when the outcomes are poor," says Dr. Barbara Goff, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Sep 27, 2005 - "Washington Post", Washington, DC
High-Risk Testing
Only 2 percent of U.S. women have family histories of breast and ovarian cancer that should lead them to genetic counseling and testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations that may predispose them to those cancers. That's the new recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts whose research sets the standard for preventive care. The advice may disproportionately affect women of Ashkenazi (mostly East European) Jewish descent.

Sep 27, 2005 - "NY1 - CH 1", NYC, NY
Doctors Urge Women To Be On The Lookout For Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer
A national poll from the Gynecological Cancer Foundation and Research America released this month says that nearly half of women can't name a single symptom when it comes to reproductive cancers. When it comes to difficult-to-diagnose cancers, like ovarian cancer, doctors say this is bad news.

Sep 26, 2005 - "Health And Age", Santa Fe, NM
Milk and Ovarian Cancer - Is There a Link?
A possible connection between drinking milk and ovarian cancer was first proposed in 1989. Since then, many studies of different nutritional lifestyles have been done, but results are conflicting. In an effort to resolve this, Swedish researchers have conducted a meta-analysis of relevant studies. (A meta-analysis uses statistical methods to combine the results from numerous clinical studies to decrease the uncertainty of an overall result.) Their findings have been published in the International Journal of Cancer, and are summarized here.

Sep 25, 2005 - "The Vancouver Sun", Vancover, Canada
Ovarian cancer: Low-profile and deadly
It first whispered to Nancy McKinstry a year ago, the niggling physical symptoms hinting that something wasn't quite right. So she took to the Internet and did some research, and up popped ovarian cancer. McKinstry didn't see herself in the disease's description, but she went for a checkup anyway.

Sep 25, 2005 - "Los Angeles Times", Los Angeles, CA
Facing Down an Insidious Monster
When the words "A Voice from the Past" are handwritten on an envelope addressed to me, I'm hooked. This one came from Skip Pedigo, who reminded me that, years ago, she'd written to implore me to get a better mug shot to run in the newspaper. It's all a blur to me, but she says we eventually got a better photo. Thankfully, a subsequent regime discontinued using photos to adorn columns. That was then and this is now, Pedigo wrote. The subject on her mind today is ovarian cancer. And Pedigo noted that even if my instinct is that "it may not be a guy topic," that doesn't stop it from killing people close to guys. That sent me online to the Physician's Desk Reference Family Guide to Women's Health and this sobering assessment: "Of all the cancers to which women are prey, this is the deadliest. Although odds of survival are good when the disease is discovered early, it usually goes undetected until the chance of a cure is slim."

Sep 24, 2005 - "The Info Zone", Kansas City, KS
Ovarian Cancer Is a Silent Killer with More Than 16,000 U.S. Lives Claimed Annually
Ovarian cancer is frequently referred to as the "silent killer" because the disease often lacks symptoms that are noticed by the patient. In Kansas , there are nearly 200 cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed each year and 147 women died of the disease in 2002. Ovarian cancer affects one in 57 women living in the U.S. and more than 22,000 women will be diagnosed with the disease in 2005. Ovarian cancer will claim the lives of 16,000 American women this year, according to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.

Sep 23, 2005 - "Las Vegas Review Journal", Las Vegas, NV
Vision of cancer research center unfolds
The husband-and-wife team of David and Patricia Ward had done research in Las Vegas that led to the hope that ovarian cancer can be detected in its earliest and most treatable stage: news that was spread by the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's most distinguished scientific body.

Sep 23, 2005 - "The Royal Gazette", Bermuda
Ovarian cancer expert gives talk
The Bermuda TB, Cancer & Health Association brought a prominent ovarian cancer researcher to Bermuda to discuss the myths, diagnosis and treatments of the disease on Thursday evening. Dr. Wendy Chen works at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School Institute, in Boston. She came to Bermuda hoping to inform women about the importance of early diagnosis and increase the level of discussion about the disease. “So often breast cancer is seen as the women’s cancer but people need to be aware of ovarian cancer as well, “ Dr. Chen said. She said one myth about ovarian cancer is that it is a silent disease that doesn’t have many symptoms.

Sep 23, 2005 - "The Eureka Reporter", Eureka, CA
Heed lessons learned about gynecologic cancer
Gynecologic cancer is cancer of the cervix, ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina or vulva, and that is why September has a special designation as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month – it’s an effort to bring attention to this serious health issue. According to the American Cancer Society, gynecologic cancers will affect approximately 79,480 women and take 28,910 lives this year.

Sep 22, 2005 - "Southlake Times", Lewisville, TX
The Walk for the Whisper
Southlake resident Donna Lackey's mother and grandmother both died of breast cancer at the age of 47. Years later a 36-year-old female cousin was diagnosed with the same disease. After learning that her cousin had undergone genetic counseling and carried an inherited gene mutation (BRAC 1) that greatly increases the chances of having breast cancer, Lackey decided to undergo genetic testing. "Women with a BRAC 1 mutation have up to an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer and up to 44 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer," Lackey said.

Sep 22, 2005 - "Observer-Tribune ", NJ
Women fight ovarian cancer
Walking a mile in the shoes of an ovarian cancer patient may not be easy. But taking a one, three or five mile walk for charity may be an important step towards funding research and raising awareness for ovarian cancer, according to participants in the Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation’s sixth annual Walkathon on Sunday, Sept. 18, at Loantaka Brook Reservation in Morristown.

Sep 21, 2005 - "Palm Beach Post", Palm Beach, FL
Still waiting for ovarian cancer test
Another year has elapsed, and Shelly Rozenberg is still waiting for the diagnostic test that can tell her, with some certainty,whether she has ovarian cancer. Rozenberg is at high risk for this silent killer that shows almost no symptoms until it is well-advanced and hard to cure. Because of the lack of accurate early testing, it is almost always diagnosed after it has progressed.

Sep 20, 2005 - "Delaware-online/The News Journal ", Wilmington, DE
Ovarian cancer diagnosis is difficult, but there is hope
Ovarian cancer is responsible for more than 15,000 deaths a year, and approximately 25,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth among cancers affecting women, at a rate of 40 cases per 100,000 women. And ovarian cancer is the deadliest: More women will die from ovarian cancer than all of the other gynecologic cancers combined.

Sep 20, 2005 - "NBC10 - ", Philadelphia, PA
Roundup: Breast, Ovarian Cancer;
Doctors say women with a family history of breast cancer do not automatically have a higher risk for ovarian cancer. It all depends upon whether you test positive or negative for the two known breast cancer genes -- BRC1 and BRC2.

Sep 20, 2005 - "Women's Cancer Network", Chicago, IL
Familial Breast Cancer Doesn't Always Boost Ovarian Cancer Risk
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer but no evidence of breast cancer gene mutations aren't at any increased risk of ovarian cancer, according to a new study. The study focused specifically on mutations in two genes, called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Both mutations have strong ties to an increased risk for both breast cancer and ovarian malignancies.

Sep 20, 2005 - "AZ Central.com", Phoenix, AZ
4 diseases that strike with little warning
1 - Ovarian cancer - This is only the seventh most common cancer among women in the United States, but it's fourth in overall deaths because the symptoms are vague and the cancer occurs deep within the body. It's often advanced by the time it's diagnosed. Ovarian cancer seems to be related to the number of times a woman ovulates, with more ovulations increasing risk.

Sep 19, 2005 - "MedicineNet, Inc.", San Clemente, CA
Gene Linked to Aggressive Ovarian Cancer
Researchers have discovered that overproduction of a gene called Rsf-1 may play a crucial role in the development of ovarian cancer, and might explain why some forms of this cancer are more deadly than others. Tian-Li Wang of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the senior author of the study, and her colleagues analyzed tissues from seven ovarian cancer samples, using a technique called digital karyotyping to identify "sub-chromosomal alterations."

Sep 19, 2005 - "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", Seattle, WA
Living Well: Cancer care comes under the microscope in 'Wit'
Funny how little things can turn into big things. Several months ago, Shana Bestock, artistic director for the Seattle Public Theater, was walking in Pike Place Market with a photographer in town to promote a new book featuring strong women. They spotted a feminist-themed shirt at a clothing stall, where Therese Diekhans sells shirts and dresses created by a local artist. Diekhans not only subsequently tried out, she got the lead role as Vivian Bearing, a professor of 17th-century poetry who learns she has advanced-stage ovarian cancer.

Sep 18, 2005 - "Salt Lake Tribune ", Salt Lake City, UT
Taking up fight against cancer
Eden Ellman drove from Boulder, Colo., to celebrate life in one of the best ways she knows - rock climbing. With good reason. Saturday was the second anniversary of her last chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer. "I have to come. It means I'm still alive," said the 48-year-old recreational climber, one of nearly 150 participants Saturday in the fourth annual HERA (Health, Empowerment, Research & Advocacy) Climb for Life.

Sep 16, 2005 - "The Parthenon", Huntington, WV
Cabell Huntington Hospital address ovarian cancer
Cabell Huntington Hospital raised awareness for ovarian cancer Wednesday by setting up information tables and giving out pamphlets and fact sheets on the disease. Caroline Schlatt, coordinator of the W.Va.-based ovarian cancer program, Reaching Out, said it is crucial for women to get yearly gynecological exams.

Sep 15, 2005 - "Huntington News", Huntington, WV
Gayle Manchin Visits Cabell Huntington Hospital to Promote Ovarian Cancer Awareness
West Virginia First Lady Gayle Manchin visited Cabell Huntington Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 14, 2005 with a proclamation for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Inside the hospital atrium were displays and information about ovarian cancer with representatives to answer questions. Mrs. Manchin said, "This is about education and heightening the awareness of all women for West Virginia."

Sep 15, 2005 - "WROC-TV 8", Rochester, NY
Ovarian Cancer: the silent killer
"I felt like I was 10 months pregnant, I couldn't understand it." However, the bloating that 47-year-old Erna Lewis felt was no pregnancy. "And I told the doctor, I know I'm overweight but this just doesn't feel right." The bloating was fluid buildup from a tumor. Erna has late-stage ovarian cancer. "We have no history of cancer at all in my family."

Sep 15, 2005 - "The Salt Lake Tribune ", Salt Lake City, UT
Ovarian Cancer: 'It was scary; I had no clue and no symptoms'
Jean Holley was stunned to learn she had a tumor the size of a volleyball growing inside her. The 61-year-old Holladay woman, who wears a slender size 4, had gone to the emergency room with sharp back and abdominal pains caused by a gall bladder attack. There, doctors also discovered a large mass that turned out to be ovarian cancer.

Sep 15, 2005 - "Preston Today", UK
Cancers that can kill through fear
Gynaecological cancers – which many women are too embarrassed or afraid to talk about – can be a killer if ignored. Early diagnosis of the four types of gynaecological cancer – ovarian, endometrial (womb), cervical and vulval – plays a major part in the successful treatment of the condition.

Sep 12, 2005 - "Los Angeles Times", Los Angeles, CA
Pursuing a life full of possibility
Recent battles with cancer — her own and that of her niece, who is also her assistant — left her conscious of how little is apportioned to each of us, really, making it important to spend it well. Both women are healthy — Bates' ovarian cancer, diagnosed two years ago, was caught and treated early; she is officially cancer free. The same is true of her niece Linda Wehbi, who had her last chemo treatment for breast cancer earlier this year.

Sep 11, 2005 - "The Detroit News", Detroit, MI
Cancer victim's sister battles to save other women's lives
Between Hurricane Katrina and today -- this Sept. 11 -- Sheryl Silver took her singular passion for saving women's lives to Capitol Hill. That her testimony to a House subcommittee Wednesday was sandwiched between one ongoing disaster and the fourth anniversary of another only fueled her impatience with the niceties of the political process. Five years ago, her older sister, Johanna Silver Eisenberg Gordon, a Southfield High School English teacher, died from ovarian cancer -- a disease that is often said to kill swiftly and without warning.

Sep 10, 2005 - "Capitol News - CH 10", Albany, NY
Lending a Hand: Ovarian Cancer Awareness
It affects more than 23,000 women nationwide every year and close to 2,000 here in New York State. Early detection is difficult, so when ovarian cancer is finally diagnosed, the survival rate is very low. This month is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in New York State. Gay Petri, a representative with Caring Together, Inc., joined Capital News 9 in the newsroom to talk more about the disease and the upcoming walk.

Sep 09, 2005 - "The Daily Mail", UK
Rare coral offers new cancer hope
A rare coral that only lives in the sea around one Australian island could provide a powerful new weapon against cancer. It produces a defensive chemical that acts like one of the most successful anti-cancer drugs - but is 100 times more potent. Scientists are using the compound, eleutherobin to design effective new drugs that could be used to treat a wide range of cancers.

Sep 08, 2005 - "The Globe and Mail", Toronto, ON, Canada
'Cancer that whispers' creeps up on women
Shockingly few women recognize the symptoms of deadly ovarian cancer. The Listen Up and Get Loud campaign wants to change that. As she completed her studies at Dalhousie University, Sarah Pink was feeling increasingly unwell. She suffered bloating, abdominal pain, the need to urinate frequently, topped off with a general malaise. In visits to physicians and even the emergency room, Ms. Pink was told, alternately, that she was suffering from premenstrual symptoms, gas and depression.

Sep 08, 2005 - "News Target",
Early detection of ovarian cancer may be possible, study shows
A new study shows women may experience abdominal swelling, bloating or pain before they are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, giving some hints for early detection of a disease that was previously thought to have few early symptoms. Be sure to read the related article, Mammograms cause breast cancer (and other cancer facts you probably never knew).

Sep 08, 2005 - "KOMO 1000 News", Seattle, WA
Ovarian Cancer Warning Signs
Ovarian cancer will claim the lives of 16,000 women in the U.S. this year. This cancer is often called the "silent" killer, because it often progresses without obvious warning symptoms; or at least, that's what we've always been told.

Sep 07, 2005 - "U.S. Food and Drug Administration", Washington, DC
FDA Report
Statement of Richard Pazdur, M.D., Director, Office of Oncology Drug Products, before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government Reform for the U. S. House of Representatives.

Sep 07, 2005 - "Sympatico", Canada
Signs of ovarian cancer often overlooked
Kate Nazar noticed she was suffering from some odd symptoms -- she would get bloated, often felt tired, and her menstrual cycle wasn't regular. Nazar, 30, never questioned it. The vice-president of a financial firm with an active three-year-old, she figured it was fatigue caused by a busy life. "You sometimes think your body is telling you to slow down. You certainly don't think it's cancer," she said. "I probably should have questioned it more."

Sep 07, 2005 - "The Daily Comet", Thibodaux, Louisiana
A fighting chance - There’s new hope in the battle against ovarian cancer
When Jacqueline Price was diagnosed with stage III-C cancer in October 2000, her doctor gave her a 10 percent chance of living for another five years. Price, who loves to dance Argentine tango five to six nights a week, said she looked her doctor right in the eye and told him, ``Well, someone has to be in that 10 percent.’’

Sep 07, 2005 - "C Health", Canada
Most women know little about ovarian cancer
TORONTO (CP) - Most Canadian women have no idea how to recognize the symptoms of ovarian cancer, a disease that kills six out of every 10 of its victims, a survey suggests. In fact, 96 per cent of women surveyed could not identify the most common symptoms, says the National Ovarian Cancer Association, which commissioned the Decima poll released Wednesday.

Sep 07, 2005 - "PR Newswire", New York, NY
National Society of Genetic Counselors Supports the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF)
The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) applauds the efforts of the USPSTF in addressing the important issue of genetic counseling, risk assessment and testing for breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. The NSGC fully supports the Task Force's emphasis on the importance of genetic counseling for appropriate risk assessment and informed decision-making regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing and management. NSGC believes that individuals who appear to have a low risk family history may still benefit from the cancer risk assessment process, and no data has suggested that genetic counseling poses adverse effects.

Sep 07, 2005 - "Forbes.com", New York, NY
Think T.E.A.L. - "Tell Everyone About Listening"
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and across the country, divisions of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition are hosting events tomorrow and throughout the month to promote the organization's educational message: "Think T.E.A.L. - Tell Everyone About Listening." Teal ribbons are on display at stores, parks, office buildings, in neighborhoods and at special events hosted by NOCC Divisions. Thousands of people are wearing teal jelly bracelets that say "It whispers, so listen" to encourage women to listen to their bodies and know the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer so they can alert their doctors (jelly bracelets are available at www.ovarian.org or at Claire's stores nationwide).

Sep 07, 2005 - "The Globe and Mail", Toronto, ON, Canada
Most women don't know ovarian cancer symptoms
Ovarian cancer and its symptoms remain a mystery to a huge number of Canadian women, with 96 per cent polled in a recent survey unable to identify common signs of the disease and more one in ten saying they've never even heard of the illness.

Sep 07, 2005 - "ABC News", New York City, NY
Congress Considers Bill for Gynecological Cancer Awareness
Johanna's Law Would Educate Women, Doctors About Early Detection.
When detected early, gynecological cancers have a 90 percent successful treatment rate. But when diagnosed later on, that rate drops to less than 50 percent. Right now, Congress is considering Johanna's Law, which asks for $45 million for 2006 through 2008 to start a national public awareness campaign about gynecological cancer and demonstration projects that evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. The bill is named for Johanna Silver Gordon, a retired teacher who died of ovarian cancer five years ago.
Please see: OCAN supports Johanna's Law, and http://www.johannaslaw.org.

Sep 06, 2005 - "Wilmington Star", Wilmington, N.C.
A fighting chance
There’s new hope in the battle against ovarian cancer - When Jacqueline Price was diagnosed with stage III-C cancer in October 2000, her doctor gave her a 10 percent chance of living for another five years. Price, who loves to dance Argentine tango five to six nights a week, said she looked her doctor right in the eye and told him, ``Well, someone has to be in that 10 percent.’’

Sep 5, 2005 - "e Max Health",
Ovarian Cancer Often Announces Its Presence Through Symptoms
Ovarian cancer is often thought of as a silent killer, coming to the attention of physicians only at its late stages when prognosis is poor. But according to a new study by UC Davis researchers, four in 10 women with ovarian cancer have symptoms that they tell their doctors about at least four months, and as long as one year, before they are diagnosed. The study will be published in the Oct. 1 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Sep 01, 2005 - "Capital News TV - CH9", Albany, NY
Ovarian cancer
When Lydia Zipp complained of stomach problems, her doctors thought she had the flu and psychological problems. "I left the office with allergy medication and antibiotics and antidepressants," said Zipp.

Sep 01, 2005 - "Doctors Guide",
Top Abstracts 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