BRCA1 Methylation Tied to Ovarian Cancer Risk

January 18, 2018 4:26 am

BRCA1 mutations are well-known to predispose to ovarian cancer risk. But now a new study, appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that methylation of normal BRCA1 genes might be a major ovarian cancer risk factor. In this Read more

Women with Ovarian Cancer Who May Benefit from Maintenance Treatment

January 15, 2018 6:18 pm

Myriad Genetics and AstraZeneca have expanded their collaboration to conduct a study to identify women with advanced ovarian cancer who may benefit from maintenance treatment with Lynparza (olaparib) and Avastin (bevacizumab).

Myriad’s myChoice HRD Plus is a test for BRCA1 … Read more

FDA Grants Priority Review for Rucaparib

December 28, 2017 8:08 pm

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review status to rucaparib as maintenance therapy for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to the drug’s developer. The application is for women who are platinum sensitive, and in complete … Read more

Fallopian Tube Removal May Help Prevent Most Common Ovarian Cancer

December 20, 2017 7:52 pm

A study published in October showed that high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSOC), which account for about 75 percent of ovarian cancers, originate with abnormal cells in the fallopian tubes an average of seven years before the disease develops. This understanding … Read more

Health Matters: Testing Your Genes for Cancer

December 12, 2017 12:21 am

Whether you’ve already been diagnosed, or you want to know your risk, health experts can test your DNA to determine your chances of developing cancer.

“The testing itself determines whether or not they have inherited this broken gene that could … Read more

Loss of Heterozygosity in BRCA Gene May Influence Survival in Breast and Ovarian Cancers

August 28, 2017 7:17 pm

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found a relationship between the genetics of tumors with germline BRCA1/2mutations—and whether the tumor retains the normal copy of the BRCA1/2 gene—and risk for primary resistance … Read more

How PARP Inhibitors Might Prove Useful In More Than Just BRCA Cancers

August 2, 2017 7:56 pm

PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib) has been embraced by oncologists treating women with BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer, and the AstraZeneca drug is also showing promise in breast cancers that harbor the same mutations. But scientists led by the University of Pennsylvania believe … Read more

PARP Inhibitor Active in BRCA Subgroups

March 14, 2017 5:52 pm

Patients with relapsed BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer had a similar progression-free survival (PFS) with the PARP inhibitor rucaparib (Rubraca) regardless of the type of mutation, according to subgroup analyses of a prospective, multicenter trial.

Results showed a median PFS of … Read more

The Unbearably Slow Adoption of Genetic Cancer Tests

July 12, 2016 5:29 pm

Over the past 20 years, Nazneen Rahman has identified a steady stream of genes that influence the risk of breast, ovarian, and childhood cancers—work that has earned her scientific, popular, and even royal acclaim. But her latest accomplishment, and one … Read more