Treating Ovarian Cancers by Targeting Mutations

July 31, 2018 11:22 pm

New research has shown that ovarian cancer patients with a tumor mutation in the BRAF gene respond exceptionally well to treatment with targeted drugs, known as BRAF inhibitors.

BRAF inhibitors block the activity of mutated BRAF gene. They are currently … Read more

Can a personalized cancer vaccine effectively treat ovarian cancer?

July 6, 2018 9:12 pm
In recent study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers tested a personalized cancer vaccine for treating ovarian cancer.

For most advanced ovarian cancers, the current treatment is a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Initially, patient response to this treatment

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ASCO 2018: Dendritic Cell Vaccine

June 20, 2018 5:46 pm

Dendritic cell vaccine improved progression-free survival when administered sequentially after chemotherapy. The vaccine provides a promising maintenance treatment option to delay progression of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

This outcome of an interim analysis of a phase II, open-label, randomized, multicenter trial … Read more

Bevacizumab Rechallenge Benefit in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer?

June 19, 2018 5:43 pm

A new study suggests that a rechallenge with bevacizumab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy may prolong progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) who already received this agent during first-line treatment. The study was presented by Italian … Read more

FDA Approves Bevacizumab Plus Chemotherapy in Advanced OC

June 14, 2018 7:32 pm

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) followed by bevacizumab as a single agent for the treatment of women with advanced (stage III or IV) ovarian cancer following initial … Read more

Olaparib Plus Vistusertib Promising in Early Trial

June 8, 2018 9:48 pm

The combination of the PARP inhibitor olaparib with an mTORC1/2 inhibitor known as vistusertib was tolerable and had promising activity across endometrial, ovarian, and triple-negative breast cancers, according to a phase I trial. Results of the trial (abstract 5504Read more

Pembrolizumab Monotherapy Shows Activity in Advanced Recurrent OC

June 7, 2018 9:52 pm

Pembrolizumab monotherapy is associated with antitumor activity in patients with advanced recurrent ovarian cancer, interim results from the phase 2 KEYNOTE-100 study suggest.

Notably, objective response rates among study subjects increased in tandem with increased programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, … Read more

‘Personalized’ Ovarian CA Vaccine May Prolong Survival

April 16, 2018 9:42 pm

A novel cancer vaccine made from autologous whole-tumor and dendritic cells significantly improved survival in women with recurrent advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), given alone or in combination with standard immunomodulatory therapy, researchers found.

An international pilot study in 25 … Read more

New Immunotherapy Shows Promise Against Ovarian Cancer

April 10, 2018 8:57 pm

Ovarian cancer can be tough to beat, particularly if it returns after initial treatment, but new research offers a glimmer of hope.

One study found that a new targeted “immunotherapy” to treat ovarian cancer that has come back looked promising … Read more

Participation In Clinical Trials May Eliminate Ovarian Cancer Survival Disparities

April 4, 2018 5:22 pm

Improving the diversity of enrollment in clinical trials may improve health disparities among women with ovarian cancer, according to study results presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.

“Our study is evidence that no one … Read more

SGO 2018: Immunotherapy/PARP Inhibitor Combination Produces Remissions in Ovarian Cancer

April 2, 2018 5:19 pm

A combination of the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and the DNA repair–blocking agent niraparib (Zejula) can be significantly more effective than either drug alone in women with hard-to-treat ovarian cancer, a phase I/II clinical trial led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers … Read more

SGO 2018: A Vaccine Shows Promise Against Ovarian Cancer

March 26, 2018 9:11 pm

A vaccine derived from a patient’s tumor cells, which enhances T-cell targeting of cancer cells, has shown promise against ovarian cancer.

This outcome of a phase 1 clinical trial was reported at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s 2018 Annual Meeting … Read more

Vulnerable Populations Lack Sufficient Clinical Trial Information

March 21, 2018 2:30 pm

Despite showing an interest in clinical trials and biobanking, underserved populations appear to be unclear on how to learn about them, while community physicians reported lacking appropriate information to give them, according to data to be presented at the American … Read more

Why Many Patients Join Phase 1 Clinical Trials

March 7, 2018 6:12 am

“Fighting my cancer as much as possible” is why many patients participate in early stage clinical trials, according to research presented at the TAT (Targeted Anticancer Therapies) International Congress 2018 in Paris, France.

“The importance of early stage trials is … Read more

Clinical Trials Offer Promising New Treatments for Ovarian Cancer

February 5, 2018 9:10 pm

By: Deborah Zajchowski, PhD – Scientific Director, The Clearity Foundation

In the past three years, new hope has come to many women with ovarian cancer because of four new drugs that were approved for the treatment of this disease. These … 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

Combinations May Be The Future Of Immunotherapy In Ovarian Cancer

January 12, 2018 10:27 pm

To date, trials testing the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer yielded disappointing results. However, researchers are not giving up. Instead, they’re investigating to see if immunotherapy drugs – such as PD1 and PDL-1 inhibitors – can … Read more

Foundation For Women’s Cancer Fights To End Clinical Trial Crisis

January 10, 2018 6:36 pm

When Wendy Ericsson learned she had uterine cancer in December 2012 she went looking for information, but didn’t find much out there about her disease.

Through her doctor, she was directed to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC).

“There’s a … Read more

The Crisis in Gynecological Cancer Research

September 18, 2017 7:39 pm

By: Susan Gubar

As an ovarian cancer patient whose life is being extended by a clinical trial, I was delighted to learn this summer that research on gynecological cancers is undergoing an unusually productive period. But I’m dismayed that at … Read more

Cancer Patients Struggle to Understand Clinical Trials

September 10, 2017 5:40 pm

Cancer patients struggle to understand what is involved in a clinical trial, even when they have participated in them. In a survey of 1090 adult cancer patients, more than half did not understand the concepts of clinical equipoise or randomization.… Read more