DOVE Study

Diseases of the Ovary and their Evaluation

Principal Investigator: Mary Anne Rossing, DVM, PhD
Study Manager: Kristine G. Wicklund, PhD

Research Project Interviewers:
     Susan McKeeth (425-351-5442)
     Maggie Moore (206-667-2680)  

Contact Information
     206-667-4630 
     866-352-9525 Toll Free
     206-667-5948 Fax
     
     The DOVE Study
     Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
     PO Box 19024 (M4-C308)
     Seattle WA  98109-1024

The purpose of the DOVE Study is to further our understanding of why some women develop ovarian tumors and others do not. The results of this study will help to improve the health of future generations of women.

Many questions remain regarding the causes of ovarian cancer. Among the various theories that have been put forth, hormonal influences predominate.  We have undertaken a study under the sponsorship of the National Institutes of Health to examine the variation in genes that are involved in female hormonal pathways. In addition, we will assess the effects of various reproductive, hormonal and lifestyle characteristics on the risk of ovarian cancer.  This study builds upon our previous population-based study of epithelial ovarian cancer which included women with ovarian tumors diagnosed from 2002- 2005.

This study is a population-based, case-control study recruiting approximately 750 women, aged 35-69, diagnosed with borderline or invasive malignant ovarian cancer between January 2006 and December 2009, and another 540 randomly selected women. Patients from the 13-county area of western Washington are identified for this study through the Cancer Surveillance System, a population-based cancer registry at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that is supported by the Washington State Department of Health and the National Cancer Institute. 

Through in-person interviews, we will compare the histories of cancer patients to those taken from the randoms sets in the same age range and county of residence. During the interview, we will ask about medical history, reproductive and lifestyle factors, and basic demographic information. Also, women will be asked to donate a blood sample or oral sample for use in studies to explore the genetic component of the condition.