Ovarian Cancer

• Ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes and/or the ovaries, the small, almond-shaped female reproductive organs that are located on both sides of the uterus.
  
  
• Ovarian tumors most commonly arise from the epithelial cells that line the fallopian tube and the surface of the ovaries; such tumors are known as epithelial carcinomas. Ovarian cancer that begins in the egg-forming cells (germ-cell tumors) or in the ovaries’ connective tissue (stromal tumors) is more rare.
  
  
• Ovarian cancer was historically called a "silent killer" because it was once thought that symptoms would not become visible until the disease was difficult to treat. However, recent studies have shown that a set of symptoms—including bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency or frequency—are much more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than women in the general population.

Low-fat diet – Dr. Ross Prentice and colleagues have found that postmenopausal women who followed a low-fat diet—that is, limiting fat intake to 20 percent of their overall food consumption—had a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who did not cut back on fat. The same study, known as the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Randomized Controlled Trial, has previously demonstrated that a low-fat diet may reduce the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Learn more »

Vaccine candidate – Dr. Nora Disis is evaluating a vaccine candidate that targets a protein called IGFBP-2. The goal is to prevent ovarian cancer from recurring. She and her colleagues are conducting a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the preventative vaccine's performance. Learn more »

Improving diagnosis – A team of Seattle researchers, including Drs. Nicole Urban and Martin McIntosh, has identified a protein that could improve diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Researchers found that a test for the protein, known as HE4, was more effective at distinguishing true cancers from benign ovarian disease than a commercially available test that detects the presence of the CA125 protein. Learn more »

Getting a jump on detection – Research by Drs. Urban, McIntosh, Garnet Anderson and Charles Drescher have found evidence that three proteins—CA125, HE4 and mesothelin—exist in increasing levels in patients' blood three to four years prior to their ovarian-cancer diagnosis. The discovery could help doctors predict a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer and even prevent the disease's development altogether. Researchers are conducting further studies to translate these markers into a test for early detection of ovarian cancer. Learn more »

Proteins as biomarkers - Dr. McIntosh has worked with Drs. Urban and Robyn Andersen to identify new ovarian cancer protein markers in patients' blood. Recently he has used serum proteomics approaches based on recombinant bodies combined with mass spectrometry to discover serum-based tumor biomarkers that work well together to identify ovarian cancer in its earliest stages. Learn more »

Imaging – Building on her work with the CA125 and HE4 proteins, Dr. Urban and colleagues are investigating the safety and feasibility of ovarian cancer screening to select women for pelvic imaging. Women ages 25 to 80 who have at least one ovary and have not been diagnosed with ovarian cancer may be eligible to participate in this ongoing Phase 1 study. Learn more »

Dr. Charles Drescher and colleagues are working to develop ways to enhance ultrasound imaging to detect ovarian and fallopian tube tumors in their earliest stages. They will conduct a Phase I clinical trial using microbubbles, tiny gas-filled particles that target a protein found in new blood vessels, along with Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) to visualize blood vessels associated with malignancies. Learn more »

New screening methodology – Drs. Robert Andersen and Barbara Goff, along with colleagues, found that a simple patient questionnaire that screens for abdominal pain, bloating, difficulty eating and other factors could detect ovarian cancer as early and effectively as a traditional blood test. The survey may provide doctors with a rapid and cost-effective screen.  Learn more »

Combined screening methods – Dr. Andersen and colleagues found that by combining the same patient questionnaire that screens for abdominal pain, bloating and difficulty eating, when combined with a standard blood test, could improve early detection of ovarian cancer by 20 percent. Learn more »

Genetics and treatment – Dr. Toshiyasu Taniguchi, together with Dr. Elizabeth Swisher and colleagues have discovered that mutations in the BRCA2 gene, which works to repair damaged DNA, cause recurrent ovarian tumors to become resistant to platinum–based chemotherapy drugs. This knowledge can help doctors select appropriate alternatives for each patient. Learn more »

Surgical disparities - Dr. Barbara Goff and colleagues have found that one-third of ovarian-cancer patients in the United States do not receive the recommended comprehensive surgical treatment. Their review of hospital data from nine states found that women who are elderly, poor or live in communities of color were at greatest risk for undertreatment. Learn more »

Avoiding ineffective surgery – Drs. Muneesh Tewari, Charles Drescher and Martin McIntosh are working to develop a new blood test that relies on measuring levels of molecules called microRNAs, which act as brakes on different parts of a cell, keeping genes in check. The goal behind this new test is to improve physicians' ability to predict and identify which ovarian cancer patients would respond poorly to surgery. That information could allow physicians to focus on different therapies for patients for whom surgery would likely be ineffective. Learn more »

Immunotherapy

Adoptive T-cell therapy – Dr. Cassian Yee is testing a new immunotherapy that was pioneered for advanced melanoma, called adoptive T-cell therapy, in clinical trials with women who have advanced ovarian cancer. The technique involves extracting disease-fighting T-cells from patients, growing the cells to large quantities, and infusing them back into patients, where they seek out and destroy tumor cells Learn more »

Natural immune response - Women with advanced ovarian cancer who have a natural immune response to a protein made by their tumors may live substantially longer after diagnosis than women who do not have the same immune response, according to a study by Dr. Nora Disis and colleagues. Researchers are now working to develop a therapeutic vaccine for advanced ovarian cancer patients that would boost this cancer-fighting response. Learn more »

Activating the immune system- Drs. Veronika Groh-Spies, Thomas Spies, Yee and others have discovered a method for coaxing an important component of the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. Their work could open the door to new treatments for ovarian cancer, as well as melanoma, breast and other cancers. Learn more »