In what they claim is the first large-scale systematic analysis of thousands of gene fusions in human cancers, scientists have identified a gene fusion that could represent a novel drug target for multiple cancers. Through their studies, the largely U.K.-based … Read more
DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream is starting to be used for the early detection of cancer and for monitoring how well treatment is working. Such DNA, which is called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), hasn’t been quite as helpful
… Read moreA team of researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer, Cedars-Sinai Cancer and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have newly identified 34 genes that are associated with an increased risk for developing the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. The findings, published today in … Read more
A systematic examination of the tumor and the tissue surrounding it—particularly normal cells in that tissue, called fibroblasts—has revealed a new treatment target that could potentially prevent the rapid dissemination and poor prognosis associated with high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), a … Read more
By Krista Conger
A large study of women with breast and ovarian cancer has revealed significant gaps between national guidelines for genetic testing and actual testing practices, according to researchers from Stanford and five other institutions.
Fewer than a quarter … Read more
By Julia Karow
A study led by researchers at Invitae has found that 23andMe’s direct-to-consumer BRCA test, which tests for three common variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and is authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration, misses … Read more
“The longer the history of oral contraceptive use, the greater the protection we observed in terms of reduced chance of dying from aggressive ovarian cancer,” said study first author Jennifer Mongiovi.
The protection that birth control pills offer against ovarian … Read more
By Christina Bennett, MS
Women at increased risk for hereditary ovarian cancer who underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy experienced less worry but worse menopausal symptoms and more regret compared with those who underwent salpingectomy with delayed oophorectomy, the Women Choosing Surgical Prevention … Read more
A team of researchers across The University of Manchester have shown that a new class of drugs are able to stop ovarian cancer cells growing.
The Cancer Research UK and Wellcome Trust funded study, published in the journal Cancer Cell… Read more
By Kristie L. Kahl
Side effects decreased among patients with high-risk ovarian cancer who received an individualized starting dose of Zejula (niraparib), based upon baseline bodyweight and platelet counts, compared with a fixed starting dose, according to a recent analysis
… Read moreBy Ian Ingram
In delaying disease progression in recurrent ovarian cancer, maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor niraparib (Zejula) also increased patients’ time without symptoms or toxicity (TWiST), an analysis of the phase III NOVA trial found.
Compared with placebo, … Read more
Since tumors often have unique defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway, identifying the molecular mechanisms that underlie how cells repair various DNA lesions is critical to selecting the appropriate clinical treatments. Inhibitors to poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are examples … Read more
By Will Pass
Women who have survived epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) more often report severe long-term fatigue than healthy women, according to a case-control study involving more than 600 individuals.
Ovarian cancer survivors had a higher rate of sleep disturbance, … Read more
By Maria Cohut
Some types of cancer, such as ovarian cancer, tend to remain undetected until they are too advanced for treatment to be effective. Now, an innovative tool may be able to detect cancer easily, quickly, and in minuscule … Read more
By Dave Levitan
Conservative management of adnexal masses classified as benign was associated with a low risk of subsequent malignant ovarian cancer, according to a new study.
“Adnexal masses are often detected incidentally and most of them prove to be … Read more
Women may not need to undergo surgery for non-cancerous ovarian cysts, avoiding potential surgical complications.
This is the finding of new research, by a team of international scientists from institutions including Imperial College London and KU Leuven, published in The … Read more
Two new papers, published simultaneously in Nature Communications and led by researchers at McGill University, offer promise that a drug currently used to treat estrogen positive breast cancer may be effective in treating two different types of cancer, one rare … Read more
By Tamara Bhandari
Study finds mimic for BRCA genes that could be targeted to improve treatment
People who inherit a faulty copy of the so-called “breast cancer genes” BRCA1 and BRCA2 are at high risk of cancer. About 10 percent … Read more
Immune cells called macrophages are supposed to serve and protect, but cancer has found ways to put them to sleep. Now researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania say they’ve identified how to fuel macrophages with … Read more
