Ovarian Cancer News and Research

Latest Ovarian Cancer News and Research

The contraceptive pill gives long-lasting protection against ovarian cancer

The contraceptive Pill gives women substantial and long-lasting protection against ovarian cancer, according to a new report by Cancer Research UK scientists in The Lancet.

28 Jan 2008

Ovarian cancer risk not affected by alcohol and smoking, but reduced by caffeine

A new study has found that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption do not have an effect on ovarian cancer risk, while caffeine intake may lower the risk, particularly in women not using hormones.

23 Jan 2008

New clues about BRCA1 role in breast cancer

A breast cancer gene's newly discovered role in repairing damaged DNA may help explain why women who inherit a mutated copy of the gene are at increased risk for developing both breast and ovarian cancer.

17 Jan 2008

Should children be tested for gene mutations linked to cancers?

It's an ethical dilemma with serious implications. Should children be tested for gene mutations that predispose them to developing breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer later in life?

16 Jan 2008

Ashkenazi ovarian cancer patients with BRCA mutations live longer than those with normal gene

Israeli investigators have found that Ashkenazi Jewish women with ovarian cancer who have mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes lived significantly longer than Ashkenazi Jewish ovarian cancer patients without these mutations.

2 Jan 2008

Breast cancer gene mutation more common in Hispanic, young black women

A genetic mutation already known to be more common in Ashkenazi Jewish breast cancer patients is also prevalent in Hispanic and young African-American women with breast cancer, according to one of the largest, multiracial studies of the mutation to date.

28 Dec 2007

Bowel cancer genes that triple risk discovered

Cancer Research UK funded scientists have identified two common genetic variants that could triple a person's risk of getting bowel cancer. Their findings are published in Nature Genetics (Sunday).

17 Dec 2007

Missing protein provides clue to ovarian cancer drug success

Scientists have discovered a protein which could improve the success rate of the tumour shrinking drug paclitaxel, in the treatment of ovarian cancer, a study reveals in Cancer Cell.

10 Dec 2007

Explanation on resistance to taxane class of drugs

Scientists have uncovered critical new details about the mechanisms that modulate the response of ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapy.

10 Dec 2007

Study shows how mutations in the BRCA1 gene lead to breast cancer

An international team of researchers led by Columbia University Medical Center's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Sweden's Lund University has, for the first time, revealed how mutations in the BRCA1 gene lead to breast cancer.

10 Dec 2007

Chips and crisps on a daily basis raise a woman's cancer risk

Dutch scientists say by eating crisps or chips on a daily basis a woman could be doubling her risk of ovarian or womb cancer.

4 Dec 2007

Genes discovered that protect against heart damage from chemotherapy

A series of genes that protect cells from the powerful, common chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin has been identified by researchers working to understand how the drug also can destroy the heart.

4 Dec 2007

Direct-to-consumer advertising for commercial genetic testing is on the rise and may be problematic

Direct-to-consumer advertising for commercial genetic testing is on the rise and may be problematic, according to a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physician. In the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Erin Tracy, MD, MPH, warns that such testing is poorly regulated and may present potential pitfalls for patients and physicians.

2 Dec 2007

Kisspeptin and GPR54 may be the future of ovarian cancer treatment

Kisspeptin and its receptor GPR54 predict a favourable clinical outcome in women with ovarian carcinoma, and are specific for the clear cell carcinoma subtype, research published this week in the online open access journal, BMC Medicine, reveals.

16 Nov 2007

Research highlights important indicators of early-stage ovarian cancer

New research explains why some ovarian cancer patients are dying, while others survive, despite similar surgical and post-operative treatment.

13 Nov 2007

UK study looks at obesity in women

The study shows that overweight and obese women in the UK are at a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer.

6 Nov 2007

Cancer risks for overweight women

Half of all cases of womb cancer and a type of oesophageal cancer in women are caused by being overweight or obese, according to a new report published online in the British Medical Journal.

6 Nov 2007

New view of lung cancer genome

An international team of scientists, supported in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have announced that its systematic effort to map the genomic changes underlying lung cancer has uncovered a critical gene alteration not previously linked to any form of cancer.

5 Nov 2007

Bevacizumab improves ovarian cancer treatment

A new study appearing in International Journal of Gynecological Cancer states that Bevacizumab, a biologic anti-cancer agent that prevents tumor growth by interfering with the formation of new blood vessels, may have the potential to improve the efficacy of standard combination chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.

1 Nov 2007