Ovarian Cancer Research

Since I have been posting occasional information in observance of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I'd do one more post with some information on what's going on with research in ovarian cancer treatment.

Here are some links to information on ovarian cancer research:

Modified Chemotherapy Regimen Effective in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Women with advanced ovarian cancer lived longer and without their tumors growing after receiving a modified regimen of a standard chemotherapy drug combination, Japanese researchers have reported. In a large phase III clinical trial, the researchers randomly assigned women to receive six cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel (Taxol) every 3 weeks (standard regimen) or six cycles of carboplatin every 3 weeks and a lower dose of paclitaxel (Taxol) once a week (dose-dense regimen). Women in the dose-dense group had a 29 percent reduction in the risk of progression and a 25 percent reduction in the risk of death after 3 years of follow-up. The results were published online September 18, 2009, in The Lancet.

Ovarian Epithelial Tumors Traced to Fallopian Tubes
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass., have found that the source of disease in many cases of the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer, serous carcinoma, may not be the ovary at all, but rather the fimbria of the fallopian tube. Dr. Keren Levanon reported these findings at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting on April 14, 2008.

Ultrasound Expertise Important in the Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer
Improving the quality of diagnostic ultrasound scans could significantly reduce unnecessary surgeries in women with suspected ovarian cancer who, in fact, have benign disease, according to a study by British researchers.

From the American Cancer Society: What’s new in ovarian cancer research and treatment?