Cancer Research Lab

Oral contraceptives with low estrogen and progestin are more effective in lowering the risk of ovarian cancer than older formulations, according to investigators at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

The protective benefits of oral contraceptive pills have long been recognized, Dr. Galina Lurie and her associates note in their report, published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. However, over the last 30 years the doses of hormone have decreased to reduce the frequency of side effects. Research conducted to determine how the potency changes have affected ovarian cancer risk has yielded inconsistent results.

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Research designed to gain a clearer molecular picture of ovarian tumor vasculature has identified a number of tumor vascular proteins that may serve as biomarkers of the disease, as well as molecular targets for ovarian cancer and a variety of other solid tumors.

“We identified a tumor vascular cell profile of ovarian cancer that was distinct from the vascular profile of normal ovary and other tumors,” report Dr. George Coukos from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and colleagues in the March 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Supracervical hysterectomy may be a reasonable alternative to total abdominal hysterectomy for women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, according to a report in the March Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Although oncologists have traditionally recommended total abdominal hysterectomy for women with ovarian cancer, the authors explain, many oncologists now recommend supracervical hysterectomy for those who will receive intraperitoneal chemotherapy because it may limit vaginal leakage of the chemotherapeutic agents.

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Compared with other anovulatory factors, pregnancy and oral contraceptive are associated with the lowest risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to a report in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The findings suggest that a single definition of years of ovulation may not be suitable for gauging the impact of ovulation on ovarian cancer risk, the authors note.

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Many women who die of ovarian cancer do not receive high intensity pain medication in the last 6 months of life, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

“When patients with cancer are nearing the end of life, they need to made as comfortable and free of pain as possible,” Dr. Sharon J. Rolnick, of HealthPartners Research Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and colleagues write. “Yet, research indicates that medical care is not always optimal; many such patients are undertreated and thus suffer significant and unnecessary pain … despite the availability of analgesic drug therapies and treatment protocols.”

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Women with stage I non-clear cell ovarian cancer who undergo lymphadenectomy live longer than their counterparts who don’t go through the same procedure, according to analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program.

Even though standard therapy for all cases of ovarian cancer is supposed to include lymphadenectomy, many of the 25% of cases diagnosed with early stage disease fail to undergo a complete staging procedure, Dr. John K. Chan and associates note in their report, published in the January issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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“Chronic inflammation was first invoked as a possible mechanism leading to the development of epithelial ovarian cancer to explain observed associations between certain factors, such as use of talcum powder in the perineal region or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and risk of ovarian cancer,” Dr. Penelope M. Webb and colleagues write. “The major mechanisms thought to underlie ovarian carcinogenesis, namely increased pituitary gonadotropins or incessant ovulation, do not explain such associations.”

The researchers, from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, examined factors potentially linked to ovarian inflammation, including talcum powder use, endometriosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), in 1576 women with invasive and low malignant potential (LMP) ovarian tumors and 1509 population-based controls.

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In a study of Ashkenazi Jewish women with ovarian cancer, those with BRCA1/2 mutations had better long-term survival than women without the mutations, according to a report in the January 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“These findings are encouraging news for BRCA mutation carriers,” senior author Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, from Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, said in a statement. “It’s possible that patients with these mutations respond better to chemotherapy. Hopefully, once we learn more about the mechanisms of this response, tailoring treatment will further improve survival.”

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