New Research May Aid Earlier Detection Of Ovarian Cancer

Main Category: Ovarian Cancer
Article Date: 16 Sep 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Two recent studies may provide improved insight into detecting ovarian cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease because it is difficult to catch in its earliest, most curable stages, the Wall Street Journal reports.

In a study published last month in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers in the United Kingdom identified a gene, BNC2, that raises a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. Though it is more common and less harmful than BRCA1 and BRCA2 -- genes previously linked to ovarian cancer -- BNC2 may significantly raise cancer risk when combined with other genes, according to the study.

The second study, published in the online journal PLoS provides new information about what ovarian tumors look like before they are detected. After analyzing tumors that were removed as a precaution in women with BRCA1, the researchers found that about 8% of women who were believed to be healthy had undiagnosed ovarian tumors of the most deadly type. Researchers determined that most tumors were less than one centimeter in diameter for about four years before metastasizing, and about half were three centimeters when they started to spread. The researchers said that existing tests would have to be hundreds of times more sensitive to detect these tumors. However, "at least we now know what we are looking for," lead investigator Patrick Brown, a biochemist at Stanford University School of Medicine, said. He added, "If we can develop the right test, we have a long window of opportunity."

The lifetime risk for ovarian cancer is one in 70, compared with one in eight for breast cancer. Although ovarian cancer is rare, early detection is critical. The disease has a 90% cure rate when detected and treated early, but most cases are identified after the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. Because of this, the cancer is frequently fatal, leading to death in 15,000 of 21,000 cases last year. According to the Journal, a survey by the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, a not-for-profit advocacy group, found that 83% of women said their doctors had not discussed the symptoms of ovarian cancer with them, and 62% of Americans erroneously believe that a Pap smear can diagnose it.

Researchers hope to develop a screening test that could help detect ovarian cancer early. Ongoing research at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., seeks to identify the genes present in particular tumors to help physicians select the most effective chemotherapy drugs. Researchers also are working to develop ways to detect ovarian cancer markers in blood, vaginal fluid or women's breath as possible methods to aid early detection (Beck, Wall Street Journal, 8/4).

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