A compilation of articles, news, study results and other updates in the field of gynecologic oncology.

Entries with titles highlighted in red may be of particular interest to survivors, caregivers or the general public.

US researchers study rucaparib in endometrial cancer patients
July 12, 2019: A research team at the University of Colorado Cancer Center (CU Cancer Center) in the US is set to lead a new clinical trial assessing poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor rucaparib for the treatment of patients with endometrial cancer. Read more.

Doubled Risk of Death After MIS for Cervical Cancer: ‘Disturbing’
July 11, 2019: Medscape – Another blow has been dealt for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in patients with cervical cancer — this time by Canadian researchers. Read more.

The cost of ’embarrassment’ when it comes to cervical cancer test
July 11, 2019: Sydney Morning Herald – According to a new survey from the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation (ACCF), more than a quarter of Australian women say they are reluctant to book the Cervical Screening Test (CST, previously known as the Pap or smear test), with embarrassment or awkwardness around the procedure a major factor. Read more.

2 FOR 1 Smear tests could detect ovarian AND cervical cancer – as lack of ‘good’ vaginal bacteria ‘increases risk of deadly disease’
July 10, 2019: Sun – A drop in the number of lactobacilli present in the vagina significantly increased the risk of ovarian cancer, a new study found. Read more.

Cervical Cancer During Pregnancy, Though Serious, is Highly Treatable According to New Research Review
June 4, 2019: News Wise – Over the years and with the publication of new studies, the treatment strategy has gradually changed to a more conservative treatment, particularly for patients in second or third trimester with early stage cancer. Read more.

Chemo-Free Doublet Significantly Improved PFS in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
June 4, 2019: Targeted Oncology – The combination of niraparib (Zejula) and bevacizumab (Avastin) demonstrated a significant increase in progression-free survival (PFS) compared with niraparib alone in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (PSROC), according to the results of the randomized ENGOT-OV24 trial. Read more.

Ovarian Cancer: Selecting Between Available PARPs
June 4, 2019: Onc Live – Watch the video panel discussion.

Years of taking vitamin D appear to cut cancer death risk
June 4, 2019: Futurity – Vitamin D, if taken for at least three years, could help cancer patients live longer, say researchers. Read more.

NRG Oncology trial sets new standard regimen for women with uterine carcinosarcomas
June 2, 2019: Eureka Alert – The study concludes that among uterine cancer patients treatment with PC was not inferior to PI based on the primary objective overall survival (OS), and PC was associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) outcomes when compared with PI. Read more.

Sexual Harassment in Training, Practice Reported by Two-Thirds of Gynecologic Oncologists
June 3, 2019: Targeted Oncology – Results from a survey conducted by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) found that 70% of female and more than half of male gynecologic oncologists in the United States were victims of sexual harassment in either training or practice; and of those, only 10% said they reported their experiences. Read more.

FDA announces Expanded Access pilot program for oncology
June 3, 2019: Hem Onc Today – The FDA today announced a pilot project called OCE Project Facilitate aimed at allowing physicians to more easily navigate its Expanded Access program for investigational oncology treatments. Read more.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy appears safe, effective in melanoma, cervical cancer
June 2, 2019: Healio – Data from two trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of adoptive cell transfer with autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed promising overall response rates for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma and cervical cancer, according to results presented at ASCO Annual Meeting. Read more.

5 Signs That Could Mean Ovarian Cancer–Early Stages Are Hard to Detect, Here’s How
May 27, 2019: The Epoch Times – Every year, roughly 21,000 people in the United States and 295,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It’s the eighth-most common cancer for women globally, making up just under 4 percent of all cancer cases diagnosed in 2018. Read more.

Aggressive uterine cancer rising, particularly for black women
May 24, 2019: Axios – Women aged 30-70 — particularly black women — have been getting aggressive and deadly types of uterine cancer at higher rates in recent years, according to new research published by the National Cancer Institute earlier this week. Read more.

Deep Learning Model Can Predict Breast Cancer up to Five Years in Advance
May 24, 2019: Interesting Engineering – Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have created a new deep-learning model that can improve the early detection of breast cancer. Read more.

Research sheds new light on the function of frequently mutated cancer protein
May 24, 2019: News Medical –  According to the study, published online in Science Advances, ARID1A plays a role in the spatial organization of the genome; therefore, its loss has broad effects on global gene expression. This finding adds critical information towards deciphering the molecular alterations associated with several cancer types and especially with ovarian cancer. Read more.

FDA Grants Novel TIL Therapy Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Advanced Cervical Cancer
May 24, 2019: Targeted Oncology – The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to novel tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy LN-145 for the treatment of patients with recurrent, metastatic, or persistent cervical cancer who have progressed on or after chemotherapy. Read more.

Predicting breast cancer metastasis by cell behavior instead of genetics
May 20, 2019: Medical Xpress – The test measures two key cell behaviors that are required for metastasis to occur: cell motility, the measure of how capable cells are of traveling to distant sites within the body, and proliferation, which is how much they are multiplying. Read more.

Case Report: Molecular Detection of Endometrial Precancer Using a Targeted Gynecologic Cancer Liquid Biopsy
May 17, 2019: Clinical Oncology – By using uterine lavage fluid for analysis, researchers provided the first demonstration that future, tumor-specific mutations can be identified in an asymptomatic woman without clinical or pathologic evidence of cancer. Read more.

Assessing the Benefit of Trebananib in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
May 16, 2019: Cancer Network – The angiogenesis inhibitor trebananib failed to improve outcomes over placebo when combined with carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, according to a phase III trial. Read more.

FDA Lifts Partial Hold on AIM2CERV Trial of Investigational Immunotherapy Agent in Cervical Cancer
May 15, 2019: Targeted Oncology – The FDA has lifted the partial clinical hold placed on the phase III AIM2CERV trial (NCT02853604), which is evaluating axalimogene filolisbac (AXAL) for the treatment of patients with high-risk locally advanced cervical cancer, according to Advaxis, the developer of the investigational immunotherapy agent. Read more.

Vulval cancer: Woman undiagnosed for seven years
May 10, 2019: BBC – A County Down woman who has had surgery following vulval cancer is appealing to women to check themselves and be aware of changes in their genital area. Read more.

Research could lead to more precise diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer
May 8, 2019: Medical Xpress – Oncologists may soon have an accurate and inexpensive way of differentiating between types of ovarian cancer that will improve how patients are treated, thanks to findings from a national research study co-led out of the University of Alberta. Read more.

How Rwanda could be the first country to wipe out cervical cancer
May 7, 2019: Mosaic Science – The East African country’s campaign to end cervical cancer through the HPV vaccine has had to overcome cultural taboos and rumours about infertility – but it’s saving lives. Read more.

Pembrolizumab Provides Hope for PD-L1–Positive Cervical Cancer Patients
May 7, 2019: Cancer Network – Single-agent pembrolizumab showed durable clinical activity in patients with previously treated advanced cervical cancer enrolled on the phase II KEYNOTE-158 basket trial, and activity was higher among patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)–positive tumors (combined positive score [CPS] ≥1). The interim results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read more.

Study Finds Synergism With Olaparib/Neratinib Combo in HER2+ Uterine Serous Carcinoma
May 6, 2019: Targeted Oncology – In new preclinical data, the combination of the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) and the pan-HER TKI neratinib (Nerlynx) was found to be highly synergistic in HER2-positive uterine serous carcinoma, according to lead study author Ghanshyam Yadav, MD. Read more.

Screening for Human Papillomavirus in a Low- and Middle-Income Country
May 3, 2019: Journal of Global Oncology – This work demonstrates a deployable protocol for HPV screening in low- and middle-income countries with limited resources to perform cytopathology assessment of Pap smears. Read the article.

Study shows ovarian cancer survival increase
May 3, 2019: Medical Xpress – A gynecologic oncologist at the Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Medicine was a national leader of a newly published research study that reveals good news for women with ovarian cancer—longer survival times plus a treatment option that causes fewer difficult side effects. Read more.

Changes in the metabolism of normal cells promotes the metastasis of ovarian cancer cells
May 1, 2019: Science Daily – A systematic examination of the tumor and the tissue surrounding it — particularly normal cells in that tissue, called fibroblasts — has revealed a new treatment target that could potentially prevent the rapid dissemination and poor prognosis associated with high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), a tumor type that primarily originates in the fallopian tubes or ovaries and spreads throughout the abdominal cavity. Read more.

Women with Ovarian Cancer Less Likely to Alert Providers As Symptoms Worsen
April 18, 2019: Oncology Nursing News – The more severe their symptoms, the less likely women with ovarian cancer are to report the discomforts to their oncologists, a study found. Read more.

Don’t Count on 23andMe to Detect Most Breast Cancer Risks, Study Warns
April 16, 2019: New York Times – A study of 100,000 people released earlier this month suggested that this experience could be widespread. Nearly 90 percent of participants who carried a BRCA mutation would have been missed by 23andMe’s test, geneticists found. Read more.

Positive results of regional perfusion chemotherapy for progressive and refractory ovarian cancer made public today
April 16, 2019: EIN Presswire -Hypoxic abdominal perfusion for progressive and refractory ovarian cancer is an effective therapy offering comparably long survival at good quality of life. Read more.

Urinary HPV DNA Testing Can Reach Additional Women
April 14, 2019: Precision Vaccinations – A new study evaluated an alternative HPV cervical cancer test for women who are reluctant to have a Pap Smear. Read more.

Language on Social Media Reveals Concerns of Patients with Ovarian Cancer
April 14, 2019: Oncology Nursing News – The language used on social media can reveal important clues about the perspectives, values, and needs of patients and caregivers affected by ovarian cancer, and a recent study of this data should be the first of many, according to a research team whose results were presented at the ONS 44th Annual Congress. Read more.

The HPV vaccine is important for preteens and teenagers. What about older women?
April 13, 2019: Washington Post – ‘Is Gardasil 9 right for me?” my patient asked during a recent office visit. Read more.

HPV rates are increasing among women under 40
April 12th, 2019: Futurity – Human papillomavirus infection rates are increasing in women born after 1980 who did not receive the HPV vaccine, research finds. Read more.

Socioeconomic barriers limit successful cervical cancer screening
April 12, 2019: Healio – Screening for cervical cancer has been a “great success,” according to a speaker at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting. However, socioeconomic barriers prevent all women from gaining equal access to screening. Read more.

Saliva Tests Can Identify HPV16
April 11, 2019: Precision Vaccinations – Oral rinse samples have been found to contain reliable and reproducible HPV DNA data. Read more.

Loss of a DNA repair system creates a unique vulnerability in many cancer types
April 11, 2019: Science Daily –  Cancer cells that cannot repair a certain form of DNA mutation become strongly dependent on single enzyme to survive, creating a new potential opportunity for drug development. Read more.

What’s new in biomarker testing for ovarian cancer
April 10, 2019: Contemporary OB/GYN – Advances in biomarker discovery have led to several FDA-approved tests superior to CA125 in preoperative evaluation of women with a pelvic mass. Read more.

Ovarian cancer patients undertested for mutations that could guide clinical care
April 10, 2019: MD Linx – Fewer than a quarter of breast cancer patients and a third of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2014 in two states underwent genetic testing for cancer-associated mutations, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and several other organizations. Read more.

Does your gender influence your clinical decision-making?
April 09, 2019: MD Linx – Have you ever wondered whether male or female physicians take different approaches to patient care? Well, this certainly seems to be the case. Female physicians tend to take a more robust approach when deducing patient care, according to a recent study published in Gynecologic Oncology Reports. Read more.

3D ultrasound gives clinicians clearer picture to treat gynecological cancer
April 9, 2019: Eureka Alert – By transforming a conventional ultrasound probe, already found in most clinics, the technology can provide a 360-degree, three-dimensional view of surgical tools and surrounding tissue and organs. Read more.

Coleman Highlights Benefit With Maintenance Rucaparib Across Ovarian Cancer Subgroups
April 8, 2019: Targeted Oncology – In findings from the phase III ARIEL3 trial, maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor rucaparib (Rubraca) demonstrated an improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Further analyses presented during the 2019 SGO Annual Meeting showed that this therapy is safe and effective across all subgroups of patients, regardless of age. Read more.

Cancer vaccine shows promising results in Lynch syndrome
April 8, 2019: Drug Target Review – Vaccination with as few as four tumour antigens generated antigen-specific responses, reduced intestinal tumours, and improved survival in a mouse model of Lynch syndrome, suggesting that it may be possible to develop a cancer preventive vaccine for patients with Lynch syndrome, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2019 last week. Read more.

More Research is Needed to Prevent Late-Stage Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer
April 8, 2019: Cure – Of the many challenges facing patients with ovarian cancer, one of the biggest is late-stage or delayed diagnosis due to the disease’s subtle signs and symptoms, according to Paula Anastasia RN, MN, AOCN. Read more.

Do Breast Cancer Patients Skip Follow-Up?
April 7, 2019: MedPage Today – Within the 5 years following a diagnosis for stage I or II breast cancer, 21% of patients stop seeing physicians for follow-up care, according to a study in the Journal of Oncology Practice. Read more.

New HPV Vaccine May Be Able to Treat Existing Infections and Cure Precancers
April 5, 2019: Health Central – In a clinical trial, researchers used the immune-based therapeutic injection on precancerous cells in the cervix, and one-third of the women treated were completely cured of the precancer and the underlying HPV infection. Read more.

Updates to Ovarian Cancer Guidelines Emphasize Importance of Germline, Somatic Testing
April 5, 2019: Targeted Oncology – Several bevacizumab (Avastin) combinations and the use of 3 FDA-approved PARP inhibitors have been introduced in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer. Based on these updates, the use of germline and somatic testing has become increasingly important in making treatment decisions for these patients. Read more.

Experimental therapy completely clears HPV in one-third of cervical cancer precursors
April 4, 2019: Medical Xpress – A potential new immune-based therapy to treat precancers in the cervix completely eliminated both the lesion and the underlying HPV infection in a third of women enrolled in a clinical trial. Read more.

Older women have the highest risk of dying from cervical cancer
April 3, 2019: Science Daily – New research shows that women aged 65 and older have a higher risk of dying from cervical cancer than previously thought — although this age group is not covered by the Danish screening program. Read more.

Study: The Pill May Protect Against Ovarian Cancer
April 3, 2019: WebMD – The protection that birth control pills offer against ovarian cancer is strongest with the most aggressive forms of the disease, a new study says. Read more.

Immune response worsens outcomes for African American patients with ovarian cancer, USA Health study finds
April 2, 2019: Alabama News Center – African American patients with advanced ovarian cancer were found to have a pre-existing immune response linked to worse survival rates compared with their white counterparts, according to research led by Dr. Rodney Rocconi, a gynecologic oncologist and interim director of the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute. Read more.

How Surgical Robot Assistants Are Becoming A Reality In Indian Hospitals And Healthcare Sector
April 2, 2019: Analytics India Magazine – According to a 2018 study by a leading job portal, India witnessed a spike in the number of job seekers in the field of robotics by 186 per cent, whereas, job postings in the segment stood at 191 per cent. Read more.

ePRO Tool Improves Symptom Management in an Outpatient Gynecologic Cancer Clinic
April 1, 2019: Oncology Nurse Advisor – The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Network, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was developed to be a collaborative effort to advance and standardize measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in clinical practice. Read more.

Phase II trial of nintedanib in patients with bevacizumab-resistant recurrent epithelial ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancer
April 1, 2019: MD Linx – In this phase II study, researchers examined the antitumor activity of nintedanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of VEGF, FGF, and PDGF receptors, in bevacizumab-resistant recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), tubal, and peritoneal cancer. Read more.

Gynecology Experts Reflect on Precision Medicine Highlights From SGO Annual Meeting
March 29, 2019: Targeted Oncology -A common theme evident among the abstracts presented during the 2019 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, held earlier this month in Honolulu, Hawaii, was matching the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, said Shannon Westin, MD, which is a foundation of precision medicine. Read more.

FDA proposes mammogram changes for first time in 20 years to identify breast cancer early
March 28, 2019: USA Today – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed new rules Wednesday that will require mammogram centers to tell women more about how dense breast tissue can affect their health and increase their cancer risk. Read more.

Phase III Trial Launches to Investigate TTFields With Paclitaxel in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
March 26, 2019: Targeted Oncology – A pivotal phase III INNOVATE-3 trial investigating the efficacy of tumor-treating fields (TTFields; Optune) combined with paclitaxel in patients with recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer has been initiated, according to Novocure, the company developing the device. Read more.

Racial Disparities in Hospice Enrollment Persist in Ovarian Cancer
March 25, 2019: Cancer Network – Though many elderly patients with ovarian cancer enroll in hospice care, a substantial proportion subsequently unenroll and die without hospice, according to a new study. Black patients are more likely to unenroll than white patients. Read more.

Low White Blood Cell Count May Help Predict Some Ovarian Cancer Outcomes
March 22, 2019: Ovarian Cancer News Today – A reduced number of lymphocytes — one of the main types of immune cells — in advanced ovarian cancer patients before treatment is linked with a higher risk of disease worsening and shorter overall survival, according to a South Korean study. Read more.

Immunotherapy Improves Prognosis for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients
March 21, 2019: Precision Vaccinations – Dendritic cell-based immunotherapy uses the patient’s own immune system to combat cancer and offers long-lasting antitumor immunity. Read more.

Cervical screening: DIY smear test could be ‘game-changer’
March 21, 2019: BBC News – Women are to be offered the chance to carry out smear tests at home in a bid to cut the rates of cervical cancer. Read more.

Evaluating Chemotherapy Plus Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for Vulvar Cancer
March 18, 2019: Cancer Therapy Advisor – Results of this retrospective study showed that adjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) did not significantly improve overall survival (OS) compared with adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) alone in women with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. Read more.

SGO 2019: Less Worry, More Symptoms and Regret With Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy
March 18, 2019: Cancer Network – Women at increased risked for hereditary ovarian cancer who underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy experienced less worry but worse menopausal symptoms and more regret compared with those who underwent salpingectomy with delayed oophorectomy, the Women Choosing Surgical Prevention (WISP) trial reported (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02760849). Read more.

Carboplatin Desensitization Associated With Improved Overall Survival in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
March 18, 2019: Cancer Therapy Advisor -Results from a retrospective study of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer treated with carboplatin chemotherapy showed that overall survival (OS) was significantly longer for patients treated with a carboplatin desensitization protocol (due to carboplatin hypersensitivity) compared with those who did not exhibit carboplatin hypersensitivity reactions. Read more.

Racial Differences in Immune Escape Mechanisms of Ovarian Cancer
March 18, 2019: Cancer Therapy Advisor – RNA expression of 5 genes involved in the indoleamine 2.3-dioxygenase (IDO) pathway, a marker of escape from immune control, was significantly upregulated in black patients with advanced ovarian cancer compared with matched white patients (P <.01). These findings were presented at the SGO 50th Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer. Read more.

Individualized Dosing Regimen Reduces Side Effects in Ovarian Cancer Maintenance Therapy
March 18, 2019: Cure – Side effects decreased among patients with high-risk ovarian cancer who received an individualized starting dose of Zejula (niraparib), based upon baseline bodyweight and platelet counts, compared with a fixed starting dose, according to a recent analysis of the ongoing ENGOT-OV26/PRIMA study. Read more.

Brachytherapy improves survival in advanced cervical cancer, but racial disparities remain
March 17, 2019: Healio – Black women —who have the highest cervical cancer mortality — are significantly less likely than white women to receive the boost as part of treatment. Read more.

PFS Increased With Niraparib Without Symptoms or Toxicity in Ovarian Cancer
March 17, 2019: Targeted Oncology – Treatment with maintenance niraparib (Zejula) led to extended progression-free survival (PFS) time in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer without the patients experiencing symptoms or toxicity compared with placebo, according to results of an analysis from the phase III ENGOT-OV16/NOVA trial. Read more.

Conservatively Managing Ovarian Tumors
March 10, 2019: ASCO Post – In an interim analysis of a prospective cohort study (IOTA5) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Wouter Froyman, MD, and colleagues found that the risk of malignancy and acute complications is low when adnexal masses with benign ultrasound findings are managed conservatively. Read more.

Moving Away From IP Chemotherapy in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
February 28, 2019: OncLive – Dr. Bradley Monk discusses the evolution of treatment of women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Read the article.

Lymphadenectomy fails to extend survival, linked to more complications in ovarian cancer
February 27, 2019: Healio – Systematic pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy failed to improve survival among women with advanced ovarian cancer who underwent macroscopically complete resection and had normal lymph nodes before and during surgery, according to results from the randomized LION trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Read more.

New Grant Award Supports Research on Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer
February 26, 2019: Georgia Tech – Promising research toward what could become the first simple and accurate test for the early detection of ovarian cancer could be validated – and expanded – thanks to a significant grant from the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Read more.

Cervical cancer study suggests ‘global elimination is within reach’
February 26, 2019:  Healio – A rapid scale-up of HPV vaccination and screening could effectively eliminate cervical cancer as a major public health problem in most countries by 2100, according to a modelling study published in Lancet Oncology. Read more.

Patients’ HIV status should not impact their cancer care
February 25, 2019: Medical Xpress – New articles published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, note that there is no medical justification to deny optimal cancer therapy to individuals with HIV. Read more.

Could Conservative Management of Adnexal Masses Lead to Ovarian Cancer?
February 20, 2019: Cancer Network – “Our results suggest that the risk of malignancy and acute complications is low if adnexal masses with benign ultrasound morphology are managed conservatively,” the authors concluded. Read more.

Compound Could Help Treat Ovarian Cancer
February 20, 2019: Technology Networks – In the paper, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, scientists screened new compounds made in the lab against a “panel” of cancers that were sensitive and resistant to standard cancer therapy. Read more.

Breast Cancer Treatments Could Be Used for Rare Ovarian Cancer, Study Suggests
February 20, 2019: Ovarian Cancer News Today – Medications currently approved to treat some kinds of breast cancer — generally called CDK4/6 inhibitors — could be re-purposed to treat a rare type of ovarian cancer called small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT), a study suggests. Read more.

Losartan May Improve Ovarian Cancer Treatment, Study Finds
February 11, 2019: Ovarian Cancer News Today – Losartan, a medicine used for treating high blood pressure, might improve ovarian cancer treatment by making it easier for chemotherapy drugs to get to tumor cells, a study found. Read more.

Minimally invasive cervical cancer surgery may promote disease recurrence; professionals urge patience
February 10, 2019: HemOnc Today spoke with gynecologic oncologists and surgeons about the results of these two studies, whether the data should have an immediate impact on clinical practice, what questions are left unanswered, and how surgeons should treat their patients before further conclusions are drawn. Read more.

Japanese study finds concerning trends in cervical cancer and treatment response
February 7, 2019: Medical Xpress –  Cervical cancer rates can be greatly reduced through preventive measures against the human papillomavirus (HPV) along with proactive cancer screening. Japan may be showing how ignoring that knowledge could prove hazardous, as it is the only advanced economy in which the cervical cancer rate is increasing. Read more.

Fallopian Tube Cancer Market Growth Opportunities by Regions, Scope, Key Players, Type and Application; Trend Forecast 2026
February 7, 2019: World Analytics – Key Market Dynamics of the Fallopian Tube Cancer Market Market report provides thorough forecasts on the latest market trends, development patterns, and research methodologies. Read more.

Where does Immune Checkpoint Inhibition fit in Advanced Ovarian Cancer Treatment
January 29, 2019: Cancer Network – The new study involved an expansion cohort from the phase I JAVELIN Solid Tumor trial, including a total of 125 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who had previously received chemotherapy including a platinum agent. Patients were treated with the anti–programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) agent avelumab at a dose of 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Read more.

Patients With Gynecologic Cancers Want to Discuss Sexual Health
January 25, 2019: Cure Today – Vaginal dryness, vaginal irritation, vaginal scar tissue, yeast infections and infertility are a few effects that patients can experience, all of which can affect intimate relations. However, these concerns are not always addressed by health care providers. Read more.

Avelumab demonstrates antitumor activity in ovarian cancer
January 24, 2019: Healio – Avelumab demonstrated antitumor activity and safety among heavily pretreated patients with recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer, according to results from the JAVELIN solid tumor study published in JAMA Oncology. Read more.

FDA places partial hold on phase 3 trial of axalimogene filolisbac for cervical cancer
January 24, 2019: HemOnc Today – The FDA placed a partial clinical hold on the ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled AIM2CERV trial, which is evaluating axalimogene filolisbac in high-risk, locally advanced cervical cancer. Read more.

Scientists Discover New Potential Way To Stop Breast Cancer Spreading
January 21, 2019: Forbes – A new study published today in the journal Nature Cell Biology has uncovered a new way by which cells that have broken away from the original tumor (disseminated tumor cells) may hide in other parts of the body, evading therapy designed to eliminate them before they can grow into metastatic tumors. Read more.

Why Is Uterine Cancer on the Rise?
January 16, 2019: US News – Research indicates that the increase in obesity in the U.S. can be correlated with the rise in uterine cancer deaths. Read more.

Can AI Outperform Doctors at Detecting Cervical Cancer?
January 18, 2019: Cancer Network – A computer algorithm was able to accurately analyze digital images of cervical screenings and identify precancerous changes that required further medical follow-up, a new study showed. The new approach, called automated visual evaluation, has the potential to change point-of-care cervical screening. Read more.

Five updates in cervical cancer
January 11, 2019: Healio – Here are 5 articles related to advances in cervical cancer detection and treatment, new data on the role of HPV positivity, and the persistent underuse of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. Read more.

Trial Failure Still Yields Insights for Uterine Leiomyosarcoma
January 10, 2019: Cancer Network – Acknowledging the small study population, Chapman-Davis concluded that the trial adds to the existing literature that supports observation as the standard of care in the adjuvant setting for patients with high-grade uterine leiomyosarcoma. Read more.

OncoSec and Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Foundation, Inc. to Conduct a Pivotal Study of TAVO™ with Standard of Care KEYTRUDA® for Treatment of Late Stage Cervical Cancer
January 7, 2019: PRNewswire – In this registration-directed clinical trial, OncoSec and GOG will evaluate the combination of TAVO and commercially available KEYTRUDA with the goal of achieving a clinically meaningful response rate greater than what has already been demonstrated with KEYTRUDA alone (14%). Read more.

Exploring the feasibility of using mobile phones to improve the management of clients with cervical cancer precursor lesions
January 7, 2019: BMC Women’s Health – Cancer screening programs hold much potential for reducing the cervical cancer disease burden in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of mobile health (mHealth) phone technology to improve management and follow-up of clients with cervical cancer precursor lesions. Read more.

Women With Select Subtypes of HPV at Higher Risk for Developing High-Grade Cervical Cancer
January 4, 2019: Targeted Oncology – The nested case-control Swedish study, published in Cancer, found that the presence of specific subtypes of HPV, namely HPV-16 and -18, were associated with a higher risk of developing high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in women under the age of 30. Read more.

Avelumab fails to extend PFS in ovarian cancer
January 2, 2019: Healio – A randomized phase 3 trial designed to evaluate avelumab for women with previously untreated advanced ovarian cancer failed to achieve its primary endpoint of PFS. Read more.