Triggering an Immune Response in Ovarian Cancer

July 17, 2018 2:04 am
by Mark L. Fuerst

A novel personalized vaccine made from an ovarian cancer patient’s tumor tissue and immune cells was found in early research to stimulate potent therapeutic immune responses, extending overall survival for patients with recurrent disease.

The vaccine,

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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

Clearity Presents Results at ASCO Conference

June 13, 2018 7:22 pm

Results from analysis of clinical and tumor profiling data from ovarian cancer patients in the Clearity Foundation Data Repository were presented in two studies at the recent ASCO conference that took place June 1-5 in Chicago, Ill.

The first study

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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

Multi-epitope T-cell Vaccine Shows Promise in Ovarian, Breast Cancer

May 29, 2018 7:07 pm

Clinicians in the not-too-distant future may have something new to offer women with breast cancer and ovarian cancer in whom initial therapy fails to yield a response. Writing in Clinical Cancer Research, investigators at the Mayo Clinic report that … 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

FDA Approves Rubraca for Maintenance Ovarian Cancer Treatment

April 6, 2018 8:05 pm

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rubraca (rucaparib) as a maintenance therapy for women with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy, according to Clovis Oncology, the … Read more

Living With Ovarian Cancer as a Chronic Disease, and Celebrating Milestones

February 9, 2018 8:33 pm

Whenever Joan Janssen meets fellow ovarian cancer patients, she shares words of wisdom that she’s gained from seven years of living with the disease. “This is a recurring disease; don’t be stunned if it comes back,” she tells them. “You … Read more

“Surviving it once, yes. Twice? I don’t know about that”: My Ovarian Cancer Came Back

February 2, 2018 6:32 pm

For many people diagnosed with cancer, the symptoms are obvious. Bumps, lumps and blood where it shouldn’t be are all clear-cut warning signs that something could be wrong.

But for Narell Whitehead, a chance encounter with a TV ad was … 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

Immortality at Midnight

December 22, 2017 7:57 pm

By: Susan Gubar

Toward the end of another unexpected year of existence, outliving a poor prognosis of late-stage cancer rouses me in the dark. Such an awakening is quite different from the fretful insomnia that accompanied the dire diagnosis. Especially … Read more

Putting Fear of Recurrence Aside by Living Passionately

October 3, 2017 8:45 pm

One of the biggest challenges for cancer survivors can be simply not thinking about their cancer once they’ve tamed the beast and been declared cancer-free. As an ovarian cancer patient, I’d venture to speculate that it’s even harder for those … Read more

Avastin Gains Expanded FDA Approval for Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer

December 8, 2016 7:04 pm

Avastin (bevacizumab) gained an expanded FDA approval to treat patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer as a part of a combination regimen with chemotherapy followed by continued use of the angiogenesis inhibitor, according to the drug developer, Genentech.

The approval … Read more