A compilation of news articles in the field of gynecologic oncology and recent scientific studies

 

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.

Targeted Therapy in Gynecologic Cancers
December 24, 2018: FIGO News – FIGO’s Updated Cancer Report shows how targeted therapies have been opening up a new era in cancer treatment. Read the Report.

Mouse Model Shows Immune-Related Effects of Entinostat in Ovarian Cancer
December 17, 2018: Cancer Network – A study conducted in mice found that the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor entinostat can enhance immune responses in ovarian cancer. In the future, trials combining entinostat with immune checkpoint blockade or other immunomodulatory agents may improve antitumor response rates in patients with ovarian cancer. Read more.

Epigenetic cervical cancer test may represent ‘enormous development’
December 27, 2018: Healio – A new epigenetic test for cervical cancer demonstrated 100% accuracy, predicting development of the disease as many as 5 years in advance, according to a blinded case-control study published in International Journal of Cancer. Read more.

HIV-infected Hispanics at greater risk for HPV-related cancers
December 26, 2018: Healio – HIV-infected Hispanic adults in the United States demonstrated a higher risk for HPV-related cancers than Hispanics who did not have HIV, according to a study published in Cancer. Read more.

FDA approves Lynparza, companion diagnostic for BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer
December 19, 2018: Healio – The FDA approved olaparib for the maintenance treatment of women with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic BRCA-mutated advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Read more.

New epigenetic cervical cancer test has 100 per cent detection rate
December 17, 2018: Medical Xpress – A new test for cervical cancer was found to detect all of the cancers in a randomised clinical screening trial of 15,744 women, outperforming both the current Pap smear and human papillomavirus (HPV) test at a reduced cost, according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London. Read more.

Cancer Recurrence: Tackling a Valid Survivor Fear
December 17, 2018: Cancer Therapy Advisor – Researchers are learning that roughly half of survivors live with a moderate to high degree of fear of recurrence, and teaching techniques to better cope with uncertainty is one way to help. Read more.

Excess weight responsible for cancers globally finds report
December 16, 2018: News Medical – The report written by scientists at the American Cancer Society (ACS) and published in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians shows that 3.9 percent of the cases of cancers were linked to excess body weight and this amounted to 544,300 cases in 2012. Read more.

More Evidence of HPV Link to Cervical Cancer
December 14, 2018: MedPage Today – Young women who developed cervical neoplasia after normal baseline cervical cytology were more than nine times as likely to test positive for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as compared with women who did not develop cervical pathology, according to a retrospective study of 9,000 women. Read more.

11 Things to Know After Receiving an Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
December 14, 2018: SELF – While there is no list of universally applicable tips for dealing with an ovarian cancer diagnosis, we asked medical experts and an ovarian cancer survivor to share what they recommend based on their experiences. Read more.

Following Pivotal Trials, Questions Remain With Bevacizumab in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
December 14, 2018: Onc Live – In a presentation during the 2018 OncLive® State of the Science Summit™ on Ovarian Cancer and Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Valerie Sugiyama, MD, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology at Stanford Healthcare, discussed the treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Read more.

Precision immunotherapy: Giving the right drug to the right patient at the right time
December 10, 2018: Healio – Companion diagnostics in the form of PD-L1 staining have been of variable utility. We need better biomarkers to predict clinical response to these agents. This is of paramount importance not only for the drugs currently in clinical use, but also for new immunotherapies in development, both as single agents and in combination. Read more.

MD Anderson Launches Phase 2 HPV Vaccine Study
December 8, 2018: Precision Vaccinations – Phase 2 cancer study evaluating T cell-activating immunotherapy MEDI0457 with MedImmune’s durvalumab targeting several HPV-related cancers. Read more.

Do You Always Get BRCA Testing When Diagnosed With Breast or Ovarian Cancer?
November 30, 2018: SELF – Not necessarily. Here’s when you should consider it. Read more.

Ketogenic diet superior to standard for women with ovarian, endometrial cancers
November 29, 2018: Healio – The ketogenic diet yielded greater reductions in fat mass and serum insulin levels than the diet recommended by the American Cancer Society among women with ovarian and endometrial cancers, according to results of a randomized, controlled trial. Read more.

Mail-in HPV screening kits help prevent cervical cancer in hard-to-reach women
November 28, 2018: Radiology Business – A new pilot study has concluded hard-to-reach women are more likely to take preventive steps against cervical cancer when they’re mailed at-home human papillomavirus (HPV) screening kits as a first step. Read more.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Preferable to Surgery in Certain Advanced Tubo-Ovarian Cancers
November 2018: Oncology Learning Network – For patients with advanced tubo-ovarian cancers, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and upfront debulking surgery yield similar survival results, but in certain subgroups, neoadjuvant chemotherapy reigns supreme (Lancet Oncol. 2018 Nov 6. Epub ahead of print). Read more.

Avelumab Fails to Meet Primary Endpoints in Phase III Ovarian Cancer Trial
November 26, 2018: Oncology Nursing News – The PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab (Bavencio) did not induce a statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS), either alone or in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), when compared with PLD alone in patients with platinum–resistant/refractory ovarian cancer. Read more.

Utilizing Eribulin for Patients With Advanced/Recurrent Cervical Cancer
November 20, 2018: Oncology Times – “Eribulin exerts its anticancer effects via a tubulin-based antimitotic mechanism,” researchers explained. “Its mechanism of microtubule (MT) inhibition is unique; only suppressing MT growth without an effect on MT shortening.” Read more.

People Who Are Obese Respond Better to Some Cancer Immunotherapy Drugs
November 16, 2018: Everyday Health – People who are severely overweight are generally thought to be more at risk for cancer and to have lower survival rates. So why does one category of the hottest new immunotherapy drugs — checkpoint inhibitors — tend to work best in people who are obese? Read more.

Ultrasonography useful for predicting ovarian-cancer risk
November 16, 2018: MD Linx – The ultrasonographic appearance of ovarian masses is strongly associated with a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer, researchers report. Read more.

How UM’s Little Haiti cervical cancer research overcomes Haitian cultural barriers
November 13, 2018: Miami Herald – In South Florida’s Haitian-American community, a simple, self-testing kit for cervical cancer is increasing the percentage of women being screened for the disease — and overcoming cultural and access barriers that traditionally have made the population hard to reach. Read more.

Olaparib Suitable For Long-term Maintenance in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
November 13, 2018: Targeted Oncology – The side effect profile of olaparib tablets and the low rate of treatment discontinuation make it suitable for maintenance treatment for patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, according to safety assessments from the SOLO-2 trial. Read more.

FDA grants priority review to Lynparza for maintenance therapy of BRCA-positive ovarian cancer
November 12, 2018: Healio – The FDA granted priority review to a supplemental new drug application that seeks approval of olaparib tablets for maintenance therapy of women with newly diagnosed BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer. Read more.

Moore Reflects on Pivotal PARP Data in Ovarian Cancer
November 9, 2018: Targeted Oncology – Promising data with PARP inhibitors, specifically olaparib (Lynparza) and niraparib (Zejula), are showcasing this class of agents’ activity in early and later-line settings of ovarian cancer, explained Kathleen Moore, MD. Read more.

Saving Costs While Maintaining Quality of Care—The Value of Biosimilars in Oncology
November 8, 2018: AJMC – According to a review published in Cancer Management and Research, biosimilar products present a viable cost-saving tool for providers participating in value-based care programs such as the Medicare Shared Savings Program or the Oncology Care Model. Read more.

Quit Cervical Ca Screening at 55 in HPV-Negative Women?
November 1, 2018: MedPage Today – Women who test negative for human papillomavirus (HPV) at or after age 55 can likely forego cervical cancer screening for the rest of their lives, a new modeling study suggests. Read more.

Screening for Ovarian Cancer in Low-Risk Women Influenced by Clinician Personal Experience
November 1, 2018: Clinical Advisor – Physicians with a personal or family history of cancer were more likely to recommend ovarian cancer screening compared with physicians without this experience. Read more.

More Data Tie Obesity to Occult Endometrial Cancer
November 1, 2018: MedPage Today – Yet another study has demonstrated a link between severe obesity and occult endometrial cancer (EC), or risk factors for it, in women undergoing bariatric surgery. Read more.

Minimally Invasive versus Abdominal Radical Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer
October 31, 2018: New England Journal of Medicine – In this trial, minimally invasive radical hysterectomy was associated with lower rates of disease-free survival and overall survival than open abdominal radical hysterectomy among women with early-stage cervical cancer.
Read the NEJM study.
New York Times
NPR
Health News Review

Commission Calls for Integration of Oncology and Palliative Care
October 26, 2018: Cancer Therapy Advisor – A Lancet Oncology Commission laid out why oncology and palliative care need to be integrated and how this integration can be accomplished. Read more.

Targeted drug could slow progression of ovarian cancer in women with faulty BRCA gene
October 25, 2018:Medical XPress – The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the drug olaparib (Lynparza) could delay the return of advanced ovarian cancer in some woman whose cancer cells carry a faulty BRCA gene, or stopped the disease from getting worse. Read more.

QUADRA Data Support Use of Niraparib in Later Lines of Therapy for Relapsed Ovarian Cancer
October 25, 2018: Targeted Oncology – The efficacy appeared to be greater in patients who were sensitive to their last line of platinum therapy, with a longer median progression-free survival (PFS) in this subset compared with patients who were platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory. Read more.

Vaccine, nivolumab combination appears promising in recurrent HPV-related cancer
October 25, 2018: Healio – Treatment with a novel, synthetic, long-peptide HPV-16 vaccine plus nivolumab yielded promising response rates and survival outcomes among a small cohort of patients with incurable HPV-16-positive cancer, according to results from a single-arm phase 2 study. Read more.

Anti-PD-1 Therapy Shows Potential for Recurrent, Advanced MSI-H Endometrial Cancer
October 24, 2018: Cure Today – The anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody TSR-042 may be safe and effective for the treatment of patients with microsatellite-high (MSI-H) endometrial cancer. Read more.

Pegylated Doxorubicin Added to Bevacizumab and Carboplatin Extends PFS in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
October 24, 2018: Targeted Oncology – As an add-on to bevacizumab (Avastin), carboplatin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (CD-BEV) significantly extended progression-free survival (PFS) compared with carboplatin and gemcitabine (CG-BEV) in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer whose first disease recurrence was >6 months after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Read More.

Maintenance Olaparib in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer
October 21, 2018: New England Journal of Medicine – The use of maintenance therapy with olaparib provided a substantial benefit with regard to progression-free survival among women with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer and a BRCA1/2 mutation, with a 70% lower risk of disease progression or death with olaparib than with placebo. Read the study.

A phase II evaluation of elesclomol sodium and weekly paclitaxel in the treatment of recurrent or persistent platinum-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer: An NRG Oncology/Gynecologic Oncology Group study 
October 11, 2018: MD Linx In this prospective multicenter phase 2 trial conducted with patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian, tubal or peritoneal cancer, researchers assessed the frequency of objective tumor responses (ORR) to determine the activity of IV elesclomol plus weekly paclitaxel, given that elesclomol has been suggested to increase oxidative stress and enhance sensitivity to cytotoxic agents in preclinical data. Read more.

Immunotherapy extends lives of patients with aggressive breast cancer, study says
October 22, 2018: USA Today – Immunotherapy, treatment used to help boost the body’s immune system, allowed some patients with an aggressive form of breast cancer to live longer, a study finds. Read more.

Patients with BRCA mutations have superior outcomes after intraperitoneal chemotherapy in optimally resected high grade ovarian cancer
October 11, 2018: MDLinx – . According to findings, in optimally resected ovarian cancer patients selected for IP therapy, pathogenic BRCA mutations were more commonly detected than anticipated. In BRCA+ patients vs BRCA− patients, a dramatic improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was seen in association with IP therapy, and this was greater than the improvement reported for BRCA+ patients with IV chemotherapy. Read more.

Future breast imaging and biopsy are not eliminated after mastectomy
October 9, 2018: MDLinx – The proportion of breast cancer patients who are eligible for breast conservation therapy, yet opt for mastectomy, is increasing, for reasons that include the desire to eliminate future screening and/or biopsy of the remaining breast tissue. A new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has determined that having a mastectomy does not completely eliminate the need for further breast imaging studies. Read more.

Greater diagnostic certainty in choosing the right treatment for breast cancer
October 9, 2018: Medical Xpress – In a joint interdisciplinary project, researchers from MedUni Vienna have now demonstrated that diagnostic certainty can be significantly increased by a new investigation technique – namely by checking the gene expression of the receptors on a gene chip and then collating all the data in a mathematical model to derive an overall result. Read more.

FDA approves expanded use of HPV vaccine for people up to age 45
October 6, 2018: Global Times – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Friday an expanded use of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to include women and men aged 27 through 45 years. Read more.

High-risk HPV linked to improved survival in cervical cancer
October 4, 2018: Science Daily – The presence of the human high-risk papillomavirus (HPV) in the diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer is linked to a greatly improved prognosis compared with if high-risk HPV cannot be identified in the tumour, researchers report. Read more.

Daily Baby Aspirin May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk
October 4, 2018: The New York Times – A standard aspirin did not lower ovarian cancer risk. Taking low-dose aspirin is a daily routine for many people because it may lower the risk for heart attacks and strokes, and some research has tied it to a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Now a new study in JAMA Oncology suggests it may lower the risk for ovarian cancer as well. Read more.

Cervical Cancer, Australia set to wipe out disease in 20 years in world first
October 3, 2018: Newsweek – The cancer, which kills hundreds of thousands of women worldwide each year—particularly in low- and middle-income countries—could be almost entirely eliminated in Australia in the next 20 years, researchers at the Cancer Council NSW wrote in a study published in the The Lancet Public Health journal. Read more.

Cemiplimab Under Investigation in Cervical Cancer
October 3, 2018: Onc Live – The treatment options for patients with cervical cancer has been historically limited, but a new study of the anti–PD-1 agent cemiplimab (Libtayo) may prove the benefit of immunotherapy in this disease. Read more.

2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to 2 Cancer Immunotherapy Researchers
October 1, 2018: The New York Times – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded on Monday to James P. Allison of the United States and Tasuku Honjo of Japan for their work on unleashing the body’s immune system to attack cancer, a breakthrough that has led to an entirely new class of drugs and brought lasting remissions to many patients who had run out of options. Read more.

Conquering cancer by attacking the disease’s genetic abnormalities
September 30, 2018: The Washington Post – Comprehensive tumor profiling — in which individuals are matched with drugs that target specific genetic mutations or other abnormalities — is becoming a cornerstone of cancer treatment. Read more.

Promising vaccine may provide new treatment option for patients with HER2-positive cancers
September 30, 2018: News Medical – Treatment with a HER2-targeted therapeutic cancer vaccine provided clinical benefit to several patients with metastatic HER2-positive cancers who had not previously been treated with a HER2-targeted therapeutic, according to data from a phase I clinical trial. Read more.

5 Recent Updates to Cancer Clinical Guidelines
September 28, 2018: AJMC – New research findings and critical evaluation of existing data can lead to changes in screening and treatment of certain cancers. Here are some updates to the diagnosis and treatment of breast, uterine, and cervical cancers. Read more.

Immunotherapy combination at MD Anderson Cancer Center shows promise for HPV-related cancers
September 28, 2018: Houston Chronicle – MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers reported Thursday that a vaccine that revs up the immune system and a drug that releases a brake on it shrank tumors in a third of patients whose human papilloma virus-related cancers recurred after standard treatment. Such cancers historically haven’t responded to follow-up treatment. Read more.

Single Agent Treats Two Cancers With Same Genetic Cause
September 27, 2018: HealthDay News — A single checkpoint inhibitor can be used to successfully treat 2 simultaneous types of primary cancer in a patient with Lynch syndrome, according to a research letter published online September 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more.

Combined birth control may reduce ovarian cancer risk
September 27, 2018: CNN – Use of contemporary birth control pills, patches or rings that contain both estrogen and progestin was linked to a reduced risk for ovarian cancer in women of reproductive age, according to a new study published in the medical journal BMJ. Read more.

6,000 women die of cervical cancer in Bangladesh annually
September 25, 2018: New Age BD – The Health Services organsied the programme where health minister Mohammad Nasim launched the National Strategy for Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control in Bangladesh. Read more.

The secrecy and shame around women’s cancers
September 21, 2018: LiveMint – September is ovarian cancer awareness month. How will this disease and other women’s cancers get better support and awareness? Ovarian cancer survivor in Mumbai describes her experiences. Read more.

Addition of CTLA4 targeted therapy to PD-1 targeted therapy may benefit patients with ovarian cancer
September 19, 2018: News Medical – An analysis of the NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-GY003 suggests that adding ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the protein receptor CTLA-4, to a regimen with the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab could improve the proportion with tumor response and progression-free survival hazard rates for women with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Read more.

Making Room for Cervical Ca Screening, Tx in Latina Lives
September 17, 2019: Medpage Today – Although improvements in secondary-prevention screening practices have led to a substantial reduction in the societal burden of cervical cancer, mortality from this disease is still disproportionately high among Hispanic women in comparison to other ethnicities/races. Read more.

Addressing Cervical Cancer Disparities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
September 17, 2018: In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Ginsburg, director of the High Risk/Cancer Genetics Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discussed cervical cancer prevention, screening, and elimination on a global scale. Read more.

Mirvetuximab Soravtansine Plus Bevacizumab Shows Promising Efficacy in Ovarian Cancer
September 17, 2018: Targeted Oncology – Recent data has suggested that the antibody-drug conjugate mirvetuximab soravtansine is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with folate receptor alpha (FRα)-positive ovarian cancer. Read more.

Cervical cancer vaccine remains optional in Dubai and northern emirates, official says.
September 18, 2018: Gulf News – Parents raise concerns about vaccinating schoolgirls, but doctors say nothing to worry. Read more.

To Test or Not To Test: A Thorny Question in Ovarian Cancer Maintenance
September 18, 2018: CureToday – Researchers disagree on whether or not to monitor ovarian cancer survivors with frequent CA-125 tests. But this patient would rather have more information than less. Read more.

POINT: Should Radiation Therapy Be Routinely Used in the Adjuvant Treatment of Stage III Endometrial Cancer?
September 18, 2018: Cancer Network – Despite therapy advances, patients with stage III endometrial carcinoma are at high risk for both distant and local recurrences. Multiagent chemotherapy has been shown to improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in some trials. Careful reading of the literature supports the use of adjuvant radiation therapy as well. Read more.

PET with CT twice as likely to change cervical cancer treatment plans
September 17, 2018: Health Imaging – Using PET imaging in addition to conventional CT imaging for women with locally advanced cervical cancer may identify more detailed malignancies and change treatment plans, according to research published online Sept. 14 in JAMA Network Open.  Read more.

What Underlies PARP Inhibitor Resistance in Ovarian Cancer?
September 14, 2018: Cancer Network – New research presented at the 12th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium held September 13–15 in Seattle advances toward a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying why most patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) develop resistance to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, with the aim to eventually find ways to identify patients most likely to overcome resistance and respond to PARP inhibitors. Read more.

NCCN Releases New Guidelines for Most Common Gynecologic Cancer
September 14, 2018: AJMC – The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released this week new treatment guidelines for patients for 2 uterine cancers, endometrial cancer, the most common gynecologic cancer, and a rare cancer called uterine sarcoma. Read more.

Biochemists discover how reactive oxygen species affect cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells
September 13, 2018: PHYS.ORG – A team of sciences from the RUDN Institute of Medicine has reported how reactive oxygen species (ROSs) affect the resistance of ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapy on the example of cisplatin—an antitumor drug used to treat this type of malignant growth. Read more.

Novel Early Screening Tool for Ovarian Cancer
September 13, 2018: Cancer Network – Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and multispectral fluorescence imaging (MFI) have demonstrated promising results in the early detection of ovarian cancer. Read more.

What’s the Likelihood That CRISPR Will Cure Cancer?
September 12, 2018: US News – “Overall, the future is quite bright, and it seems likely that we will soon have precise, targeted, DNA repair techniques that will help in the battle against many cancers.” Read more.

Using Integrative Medicine Approaches for Cancer-Related Fatigue
September 12, 2018: Cancer Network – Breast and gynecologic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy may experience improvement in cancer-related fatigue with integrative medicine approaches, explained researchers of a recent study. Read more.

Enzyme in milk production identified as target for novel breast cancer drugs
September 11, 2018: Science Daily – Researchers have identified a protein involved in milk production that stimulates the growth and spread of breast cancer and could ultimately serve as a target for novel therapies to treat breast cancer. Read more.

8 updates for Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
September 4, 2018: Healio – To correspond with this campaign, HemOnc Today compiled eights stories for oncologists on screening recommendations, health disparities and treatment updates across gynecologic cancers. Read the Stories.

Discovery of markers that predict evolution of triple-negative breast cancer
August 29, 2018: Drug Target Review – Researchers in Spain have identified a means of classifying patients with the most aggressive form of breast cancer – triple negative breast cancer; providing meaningful prognosis for the first time. Read more.

New Developments in Ovarian Cancer Treatment Are Showing Promise
August 28, 2018: TIME – Cancer is never an easy foe, but some types are more stubborn than others. Ovarian cancer is one of the hardest to treat. But there are signs of progress. Several recent studies have used new combination treatment strategies, including a drug that may make chemotherapy more effective and a drug originally designed to treat breast cancer. More research is needed, but the new studies provide hope for improving outcomes for women with advanced ovarian cancer, when there was little before. Read more.

Researchers identify non-BRCA genes associated with breast, ovarian cancers
August 28, 2018: Healio – Whole-exome sequencing confirmed well-known breast and ovarian cancer gene associations and identified MSH6 and ATM as possible moderate-risk predisposition genes, according to published findings. Read more.

First Ovarian Cancer Targeting Drug Approved in China
August 27, 2018: RD Mag – “The China National Drug Administration (CNDA) has approved the first PARP inhibitor, Lipuzhuo (Olapali Tablet). Maintenance therapy for platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Since the government’s work report this year, almost every month, heavy tumor products have been approved. ” Read more.

FDA grants fast track designation to AVB-S6-500 for ovarian cancer
August 20, 2018: Healio – “The FDA granted AVB-S6-500 — an inhibitor of the GAS6-AXL signaling pathway — fast track designation for the treatment of women with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, according to the agent’s manufacturer.” Read more.

An intelligent knife can tell ovarian cancer and healthy tissue apart—could it make surgery smarter?
August 17, 2018: Medical Xpress – The iKnife is a surgical tool with a difference. It does more than just cut, it’s programmed to detect the type of tissue it’s cutting, while it’s cutting. Read more.

Discovery may help broaden the scope of defenses against HPV
August 16, 2018: News Medical Life Sciences – “Yale Cancer Center (YCC) scientists have filled in a key gap in understanding the unusual route by which the Human papillomavirus (HPV) infects cells. Their findings, published online today in the journal Cell, may eventually help to broaden the scope of defenses against HPV and provide valuable clues for delivering drugs into cells.” Read more.

Apatinib–etoposide shows promise in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer
August 15, 2018: Medwire News – Oral etoposide plus apatinib is associated with a good objective response rate and manageable toxicity in heavily pretreated Chinese women with platinum-resistant or refractory ovarian cancer, according to results of the phase II AEROC study. Read more.

Carboplatin/Paclitaxel Induction in Ovarian Cancer: The Finer Points
August 15, 2018: Cancer Network – Drs. Leslie Boyd and Franco Muggia reflect on their experience administering the carboplatin/paclitaxel regimen to scores of ovarian cancer patients over the past decade and a half. Read more.

Talazoparib provides significant benefit for germline BRCA-mutated breast cancer
August 15, 2018: Healio – Single-agent talazoparib significantly improved PFS and objective response rates compared with standard chemotherapy among women with advanced breast cancer and a germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation, according to results from the global phase 3 EMBRACA trial. Read more.

Scientists identify mutational signatures in ovarian cancer
August 14, 2018: News Medical Life Sciences -Researchers at Cancer Research UK, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge have identified distinct patterns of genetic mutation among patients with ovarian cancer that could help them understand the disease and personalise treatment in the future. Read more.

Genetic testing low among medically underserved women with breast, ovarian cancers
August 14, 2018: Healio – Only 8% of older or disabled women with breast or ovarian cancer who had Medicare and met eligibility criteria underwent testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations between 2000 and 2014, according to a research letter published in JAMA. Read more.

Scientists unravel the mystery behind ovarian cancer with high-grade serous carcinoma
August 14, 2018: News Medical Life Sciences – In a new study published recently in the Journal of Pathology, Crum and colleagues conducted an exhaustive analysis of “normal” fallopian tubes from patients with HGSC. Read more.

NCCN releases new treatment guidelines for rare cancers that impact women during pregnancy
August 10, 2018: News Medical – The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has released new treatment guidelines for a group of rare cancers that impact women during pregnancy. Read more.

Game theory can be used to identify potential flaws in current cancer treatment approaches
August 10, 2018: News Medical – Game theory can be utilized to identify potential flaws in current cancer treatment approaches and suggest new strategies to improve outcomes in patients with metastatic cancer, according to a new article published online today by JAMA Oncology. Read more.

Parsing the Worry Factor in Prophylactic Mastectomy
August 9, 2018: MedPage Today – A prospective study of psychosocial outcomes before breast cancer surgery and up to 18 months after found that self-reported levels of cancer distress, cancer worry, body image, and QOL in 288 women changed significantly over time whether patients underwent unilateral mastectomy or CPM (P<0.01). Read more.

Team identifies genes that increase risk for triple-negative breast cancer
August 7, 2018: Medical XPress – A research team led by Fergus Couch, Ph.D., a geneticist at Mayo Clinic, has identified specific genes associated with an increased risk for developing triple-negative breast cancer. Their research was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Read more.

Drug Duo Granted Breakthrough Status to Treat Endometrial Cancer
August 2, 2018: Cure – The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to the combination of Lenvima (lenvatinib) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the treatment of patients with advanced and/or metastatic non–microsatellite instability high (MSI-H)/proficient mismatch repair endometrial carcinoma who have progressed after at least one prior systemic therapy. Read more.

Researchers discover new mechanism linked to inherited breast, ovarian cancer
August 3, 2018: News Medical – Researchers from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester have identified a new mechanism which switches off a gene in families affected by breast and ovarian cancer. Read more.

Ultrasound Beneficial for Diagnosing Pure Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary
August 03, 2018: Clinical Advisor – Ultrasonography was shown to be beneficial in identifying the characteristics of pure ovarian clear cell carcinoma, according to a study published in Ultrasound: Obstetrics and Gynecology. Read more.

FDA widens approval of Roche cobas HPV test to new sample media
August 1, 2018: Fierce Biotech – The FDA approved Roche’s cobas HPV test for first-line screening of cervical cancer in women 25 and older using cervical specimens collected in SurePath preservative fluid, commonly used in Pap tests. Read more.

Novel drug cocktails strengthen targeted cancer therapies while lessening side effects
August 1, 2018: Science Daily – Researchers have discovered that certain drug cocktails help targeted therapies attack cancer more efficiently while lessening common side effects. Read more.

Preterm delivery is associated with an increased risk of epithelial ovarian cancer among parous women
August 1, 2018: MD Linx – Findings revealed that not only high parity but also full-term pregnancies and pregnancies at older ages were related to decreased risk of ovarian cancer. Read more.

Treating Ovarian Cancers by Targeting Mutations
July 31, 2018: Technology Networks – New research has shown that ovarian cancer patients with a tumor mutation in the BRAF gene respond exceptionally well to treatment with targeted drugs, known as BRAF inhibitors. Read more.

Which Lymphadenectomy Strategy Is Most Cost-Effective in Low-Risk Endometrial Carcinoma?
July 26, 2018: Journal of Clinical Pathways – A recent study compared the cost-effectiveness of routine lymphadenectomy, selective lymphadenectomy based on intraoperative frozen section criteria, and sentinel lymph node mapping in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for low-risk endometrial carcinoma. Read more.

Addition of radiation to chemotherapy confers survival benefit for cervical cancer
July 26, 2018: Healio – Patients who received pelvic chemoradiation for the treatment of newly diagnosed metastatic cervical cancer had improved survival compared with those who received chemotherapy alone, according to a research letter published in JAMA Oncology. Read more.

Tumor Vasculature Remains Stable Through Progression of Ovarian Cancer
Jul 25, 2018: Cancer Network – The intratumoral vasculature of high-grade serous ovarian cancer does not appear to undergo significant changes during disease progression, according to a new study. The measures of angiogenesis studied were not associated with overall survival. Read more.

Enzyme Identified that Helps Make Cancer Resistant to Cisplatin
July 20, 2018: Genetic Engineering News – Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified an enzyme responsible for making tumors and cancer cell lines resistant to cisplatin, along with an experimental drug that targets that enzyme. Their study (“MAST1 Drives Cisplatin Resistance in Human Cancers by Rewiring cRaf-Independent MEK Activation”) appears in Cancer Cell. Read more.

Scientists discover a mechanism of drug resistance in breast and ovarian cancer
July 18, 2018: Science Daily – A new study helps explain why certain cancers don’t respond to treatment, and offers hope for overcoming this deadly resistance. Read more.

How risky is extended tamoxifen?
July 17, 2018: Contemporary OB/GYN – While extended adjuvant tamoxifen therapy has been found to improve breast cancer-free survival rates in premenopausal women with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer, new research suggests that may not be without risk. A meta-analysis of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) shows that using the drug for 10 years rather than 5 significantly raises the likelihood that a woman will get endometrial cancer. Read more.

Investigational Immunotherapy Looks Positive for HPV-Related Epithelial Cancers
July 13, 2018: Clinical Oncology – An investigational new drug that targets human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) in solid tumor cancers caused by HPV shows promise, according to a session at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago (abstract 3043). Read more.

Tucatinib May Be A Safe, Novel Treatment for ERBB2/HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
July 12, 2018: Cancer Therapy Advisor – Tucatinib plus ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) may be a well-tolerated and effective therapeutic option among heavily pretreated patients with ERBB2/HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to the results of a phase 1b study published in JAMA Oncology. Read more.

Pembrolizumab plus Lenvatinib active in endometrial cancer
July 6, 2018: Onc Live – “Updated phase Ib/II results of the combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and lenvatinib (Lenvima) in patients with endometrial cancer were presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting” Read more.

‘Precision medicine’ needs rev up as genetic diversity grows
July 6, 2018: Bloomberg – “Drugmakers are feverishly investing in precision medicine as Americans develop increasingly complicated genetics thanks in part to the rising birth rates of children with multi-ethnic backgrounds.” Read more.

Ovarian suppression improves 8-year breast cancer survival
July 6, 2018: Healio – “The addition of ovarian suppression to tamoxifen lengthened OS and DFS among premenopausal women with breast cancer, according to updated findings from the TEXT and SOFT trials published in The New England Journal of Medicine.” Read more.

HPV test more effective than Pap smear in cancer screening, study suggests
July 3, 2018: CNN – “Cervical cancer is among the easiest gynecologic cancers to prevent, and two screening tests can help detect the disease early: the routine Pap smear and testing for human papillomavirus, or HPV.” Read more.

Study does not find causal association between assisted reproduction and ovarian cancer risk
July 3, 2018: NewsMedical.net – “Following concerns over many years that hormonal stimulation of the ovaries necessary for IVF may increase the risk of ovarian cancer, a nationwide cohort study from Denmark has now concluded that any perceived increase in risk is actually a statistical bias resulting from vigilant diagnosis at the time of treatment. The investigators were unable to make any causal association between the treatment and fertility drugs used and any excess risk of ovarian cancer.” Read more.

Endometriosis Not a Factor in Survival of Patients with Clear Cell Ovarian Cancer, Study Finds
June 28, 2018: Endometriosis News – “Endometriosis does not worsen or improve survival of patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma, a study suggests. Researchers found that for these patients, resistance to treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy is the most important predictor of poor outcome.” Read more.

First-line olaparib prolongs PFS in BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer
June 27, 2018: Healio – “Frontline olaparib significantly improved PFS compared with placebo among women with BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer, according to interim results from the SOLO-1 trial.” Read more.

Unraveling role of tumor suppressor in gene expression and ovarian tumorigenesis
June 26, 2018: Medical Express – “The tumor suppressor protein ARID1A controls global transcription in ovarian epithelial cells, according to new research conducted at The Wistar Institute, which provided mechanistic insight into tumorigenesis mediated by ARID1A loss in ovarian cancer. Study results were published online in Cell Reports” Read more.

As more women turn to genetic testing for breast cancer, understanding risk is key
June 25, 2018: The Washington Post – “The Food and Drug Administration not long ago announced its authorization that permits genetics testing company 23andMe to market a test for gene mutations associated with risk of breast and ovarian cancer.” Read more.

Fewer Genetic Testing Referrals for Minorities With Ovarian Cancer
June 25, 2018: Cancer Network – “Women of non-European ancestry and those enrolled in Medicare have lower rates of referral to genetic testing following an ovarian cancer diagnosis, researchers reported in Gynecologic Oncology.” Read more.

Is chemo obsolete? Not by a long shot, cancer experts say
June 24, 2018: NBC News – “Cancer therapy is being transformed as immune therapies, targeted treatments based on DNA profiles and personalized treatments make stunning advances in some patients. Could it mean an end to old-fashioned chemotherapy, the mainstay of cancer treatment for decades that’s dreaded by patients?” Read more.

Automated approach may improve cervical cancer screening
June 22, 2018: Healio – “An automated risk score algorithm of cervical screening and triage demonstrated similar sensitivity and specificity to cytology for targeting precancerous conditions and identifying women with HPV most in need of treatment, according to study findings.”Read more.

Can anxiety and early life adversity affect ovarian cancer outcomes?
June 21, 2018: Cancer Network – “In women with a recent ovarian cancer diagnosis, decreased anxiety was found to be associated with better regulated cortisol profiles, according to a new study. Those with early life adversity and other factors associated with anxiety had sustained anxiety and more dysregulation of cortisol, suggesting they may be at risk for more negative outcomes.”Read more.

Defining imaging’s role in the treatment of cervical, endometrial cancers
June 19, 2018: Radiology Business – “Though not often the first line of defense, clinicians should consider endometrial cancer screening using either CT or MRI after a patient undergoes radiation therapy for cervical carcinoma, Portuguese researchers argue in the first-ever study published on the subject.” Read more. 

Ovarian cancer cells switched off by ‘unusual’ mechanism
June 19, 2018: MedicalXpress – “Scientists at the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre at Imperial College London have discovered a mechanism that deactivates ovarian cancer cells. The findings, published in EMBO Reports, could lead to better treatments for women with ovarian cancer. The research has found a new mechanism for a protein named OPCML. This protein is known as a tumour suppressor, as it prevents cells turning cancerous.” Read more.

FDA Approves Avastin Plus Chemo for Certain Women With Advanced Ovarian Cancer
June 18, 2018: Clinical Oncology – “The FDA granted a new indication for bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel), followed by bevacizumab as a single agent, for the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer after initial surgical resection.” Read more.

SLN mapping is most cost-effective in low-risk endometrial carcinoma
June 16, 2018: MD Edge – Researchers conducting a cost-utility analysis of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and lymph node dissection (LND), both selective and routine, for low-risk endometrial carcinoma (clinical stage 1 disease with grade 1-2 endometrioid histology on preoperative endometrial biopsy), found that the SLN mapping had the lowest costs and the highest quality-adjusted survival of the three strategies. Read more.

Chemoradiation prevails in cervical cancer trial
June 15, 2018: MedPage Today – “Patients with locally advanced cervical cancer had significantly increased disease-free survival (DFS) when treated with chemoradiation instead of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery, a large randomized trial showed.” Read more.

Study opens new potential avenue for treating ovarian cancer
June 14, 2018: News Medical Life Sciences – “Researchers at Houston Methodist Research Institute and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a prescription drug, Calcitriol, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of calcium deficiency and kidney diseases, may increase the likelihood of surviving ovarian cancer.” Read more.

FDA grants priority review to Gardasil 9 for adults aged 27 to 45
June 13, 2018: Healio – “The FDA granted priority review to a supplemental biologics license application that seeks approval of the HPV 9-valent vaccine, recombinant, for use among women and men aged 27 to 45 years for the prevention of HPV-related cancers.” Read more.

ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline focused update: selection of optimal adjuvant chemotherapy and targeted therapy for early breast cancer
June 13, 2018: ASCO Post – “ASCO has issued a focused update on the clinical practice guideline on optimal chemotherapy and targeted therapy in early breast cancer.” Read more.

FDA approves Avastin plus chemotherapy for ovarian cancer after surgery
June 13, 2018: Healio – “The FDA approved bevacizumab for use with chemotherapy, followed by bevacizumab as a single agent, for the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer who underwent initial surgical resection.” Read more.

A new way to classify endometrial cancer
June 12, 2018: Ob.Gyn.News – “This column will explore the newer, more sophisticated molecular-based classifications that are being validated for endometrial cancer, and the ways in which this promises to personalize the treatment of endometrial cancer.” Read more.

FDA approves Keytruda for cervical cancer
June 12, 2018: Healio – “The FDA expanded the approval of pembrolizumab to include the treatment of women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer who have PD-L1-expressing tumors that progressed on or after chemotherapy.” Read more.

Clinical Challenges: Surgery’s Role in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
June 12, 2018: Med Page Today -“The debate over repeat surgery for recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer remains an open one, as studies reported over the past year produced disparate results.” Read more.

NCI cancer centers endorse goal of eliminating HPV cancers
June 11, 2018: Infectious Disease Advisor – “National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers are endorsing the goal of eliminating cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) through HPV vaccination and evidence-based cancer screening, according to a statement from the American Cancer Society and other organizations.” Read more.

Clinical Challenges: Few Options for Advanced Cervical Cancer
June 8, 2018: MedPage Today – “Recent progress in the treatment of cancer has not had a major impact on outcomes in advanced forms of cervical cancer. Increased emphasis on screening for human papillomavirus (HPV) — which causes almost all cervical cancers — has led to diagnosis of most cases of the disease at an early, curable stage. However, the prognosis remains grim for women with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic cervical cancer, associated with a 5-year survival rate of only 5-15%.” Read more.

Researchers: Off-label cancer treatment recommendations often based on weak evidence
June 8, 2018: Healio – “National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines frequently recommends that newer branded drugs be used in settings beyond their FDA-approved indications, according to results of a retrospective, observational study published in The BMJ.” Read more.

Secondary surgery fails to improve outcomes in recurrent ovarian cancer
June 7, 2018: Cancer Network – “Secondary cytoreductive surgery was not associated with improvement in either overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) over no surgery in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. ” Read more.

MD Anderson and nation’s top cancer centers endorse goal of eliminating HPV-related cancers
June 7, 2018: Phys.org – “Recognizing that vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) remain low across the U.S., particularly in Texas, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center again has joined with the 69 other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers in issuing a joint statement to call for increased HPV vaccination and evidence-based screening, with the goal of eliminating cancers caused by the virus.” Read more.

New drug combination shows promise in treating ovarian cancer
June 06, 2018: University of Kansas Cancer Center News “Researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have discovered a therapy combination that may be helpful in the treatment of certain types of ovarian cancer.” Read more.

Vaginal bacteria may have a role in cervical cancer
June 6, 2018: Medical News Today – “The composition of bacteria in the vagina could be an important factor in the development of cervical cancer, according to a recent study.” Read more.

2018 ASCO Annual Meeting
June 5, 2018: Targeted Oncology – “The ASCO Conference Coverage page at Targeted Oncology is a full-service resource center for the latest from ASCO 2018, including key developments from presentations pertaining to breast cancer, lung cancer, and other cancer types.” See more.

Results from Genelux Corporation’s Phase 1b Trial of GL-ONC1 in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer to be presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2018
June 4, 2018: PRNewswire – “GL-ONC1 demonstrated a favorable safety profile and clinical benefits, which support further investigation in its ongoing Phase 2 VIRO-15 Study: Oncolytic Vaccinia Immunotherapy in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer. ” Read more.

New approach to immunotherapy leads to complete response in breast patient unresponsive to other treatments
June 4, 2018: NIH – “A novel approach to immunotherapy developed by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has led to the complete regression of breast cancer in a patient who was unresponsive to all other treatments.” Read more.

Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
June 4, 2018: Annals of Oncology – “Background: The role of platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients is highly controversial and it is not endorsed by current guidelines. Our meta-analysis aimed to better elucidate its activity, efficacy and safety.” Read the article. 

Improving Global Health Through Local Partnerships
June 4, 2018: Linked In – Executive Director of Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), Nancy Kelly discusses the 71st World Health Assembly and HVO’s role and contributions to increasing health security and improved health outcomes across the globe. Read her blog.

Are We Really Prepared for the Genetic Revolution?
May 27, 2018: Scientific American – “Genetic data could lead to more personalized, meaningful education, but only if parents, teachers and policymakers understand genetics well enough to correctly use the information.” Read more.

Rapid response to HPV vaccination crisis in Ireland
May 26, 2018: The Lancet – This article discusses the school-based HPV vaccination program in Ireland implemented in 2010 and recent statistics. Read the article.

Laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): An area of need
May 2018: Gynecologic Oncology: “Highlights: Increasing surgical capacity in LMICs is imperative to improving global health and treatment of gynecologic cancers. Laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic cancer in LMICs is limited and has added benefits specific to LMICs. Barriers to implementing laparoscopic surgical techniques in LMICs should be identified and addressed.” Read the article.

Splash pharmaceuticals announces dose escalation in phase I clinical trial in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients
May 25, 2018: Pipeline Review – ” Splash announced the successful completion of the first safety cohort of patients and initiation of dose escalation in its ongoing clinical trial in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients. The Phase I trial is being conducted at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.” Read the press release.

Dr. Cohen on the evolution of surgery in ovarian cancer
May 25, 2018: Onc Live – “Joshua G. Cohen, MD, assistant professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the evolution of surgery in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.” See more.

CDC announces review of pre-op diagnosis of uterine cancers by gynecologists
May 25, 2018: Cancer Letter – “Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency is reviewing the methods gynecologists use to identify women at risk of uterine cancers.” Read more.

Precision Medicines Approved More Quickly, With Less Data
May 25, 2018: MedPage Today – “Precision medicines are approved more quickly and on the basis of fewer patients and smaller pivotal trials than nonprecision medicines, according to a study in Health Affairs analyzing nearly 5 years of recent FDA data.” Read more.

Survey: Patients are ill-informed about precision medicine
May 24, 2018: FierceHealthcare – “Many patients are unfamiliar with precision medicine, but when they’re educated on what genomics can do, they’re excited about the possibilities it creates for their care, according to a new survey. “Read more.

Secondary Surgery Associated With Improved Survival in Ovarian Cancer
May 23, 2018: Cancer Network – “A secondary cytoreductive surgery along with chemotherapy following recurrence in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer offered improved outcomes over treatment with chemotherapy alone, according to a new study.” Read more.

Gynecology’s deadly surprise: Cancers are frequently missed prior to routine procedures
May 18, 2018: The Cancer Letter – “As they reach for surgical tools, gynecologists vastly underestimate the probability that their patients have undiagnosed uterine cancers, a study by Yale University researchers found. Their paper, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology last month, is immediately relevant in the clinic, because a suspicion that cancer may be present dictates the choice of surgical techniques employed in gynecological procedures that are performed in about 650,000 women every year in the United States.” Read more.

Endometriosis raises risk of ovarian cancer but not other gynecological cancers, study suggests
May 17, 2018: Endometriosis News – “In line with previous data, the researchers found that endometriosis was associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer. In particular, these women were found to have a 3.12 times higher incidence of the endometrioid type of ovarian cancer and a 5.17 times higher incidence of the clear cell type than the general female population.” Read more.

Mayo discovery could enable development of personalized ovarian, brain cancer treatments
May 17, 2018: News Medical Life Sciences – “Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that a molecular communication pathway – thought to be defective in cancer – is a key player in determining the effectiveness of measles virus oncolytic cancer treatment in ovarian and aggressive brain cancers. This discovery enabled researchers to develop an algorithm to predict treatment effectiveness in individual patients. The findings appear in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.” Read more.

Ovarian cancer patients may benefit from Trabectedin with PLD
May 16, 2018: Clinical Advisor – “Trabectedin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) may provide long-term benefits for pre-treated patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), according to a study published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology.” Read more.

Multi-epitope T-cell vaccine shows promise in ovarian, breast cancer
May 16, 2018: Cancer Network – “Investigators at the Mayo Clinic report that a vaccine is showing benefit in combating ovarian cancer in women who have suffered recurrence following successful platinum-based therapy.”Read more.

Study finds more isn’t better for Roche breast cancer drug
May 16, 2018: Bloomberg – “According to research released Wednesday, women taking Herceptin for six months were just as likely to be free of cancer four years later as those who used the drug for a year, the current standard of care recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Roche.” Read more.

HPV vaccines protect against precancerous cervical lesions
May 16, 2018: Medscape – “Vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is highly protective against precancerous cervical lesions in adolescents and young women compared with placebo, especially those who are negative for HPV at the time of vaccination, a systematic Cochrane review concludes.” Read more.

Palliative care in the global setting: ASCO Resource Stratified Practice Guideline
May, 2018: JGO – “The purpose of this new resource-stratified guideline is to provide expert guidance to clinicians and policymakers on implementing palliative care of patients with cancer and their caregivers in resource-constrained settings and is intended to complement the Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update of 2016.” Read the article.

Oncologic and palliative care in a global setting in the twenty-first century: the patient, family, and oncologic health care team
May, 2018: JGO – “Palliative care in oncology is a crucial issue and unmet need across the spectrum of cancer care and in countries and communities with varying degrees of resource allocation for cancer care. ” Read the article.

Cancer treatment during pregnancy has increased, may cause neonatal complications
May 14, 2018: Healio – “Researchers reported that newborns exposed to antenatal chemotherapy may be at increased risk for being small for gestational age and for admittance to the NICU compared with other newborns.” Read more.

CVD risk elevated in endometrial ca survivors
May 13, 2018: “Endometrial cancer survivors, especially those who are obese, older, or treated with adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, are at significantly increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes compared with women in the general population, researchers found.” Read more.

Scientists identify why some people may be resistant to PARP inhibitor drugs
May 10, 2018: Forbes – “A team of scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research in London has identified DNA mutations which makes cancer cells resistant to a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors, used for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers.” Read more.

Global analysis confirms HPV vaccine prevents cervical precancer
May 9, 2018: Healio – “HPV vaccination prevented cervical lesions among young women, particularly those vaccinated when aged 15 to 26 years, according to a metanalysis of 26 studies published in Cochrane Library.” Read more.

Why ovarian cancer spreads and how we might stop it
May 9, 2018: Medical News Today – “New research has revealed exactly why ovarian cancer spreads to the peritoneal cavity. Existing drugs could be repurposed to stop this from happening.” Read more.

Cyclophosphamide-Bevacizumab as Second-Line Chemo in Advanced Recurrent Cervical Cancer
May 7, 2018: Center for Biosimilars News “Some cervical cancer patients with advanced or recurrent disease suffer from anaphylaxis after taxane- or platinum-based therapy, and there is no standard treatment for progressive disease that develops during or shortly after platinum-based chemotherapy. Doctors and patients have therefore sought the development of a non-taxane, non-platinum regimen for recurrent cervical cancer.” Read more.

Pill may be better than mammograms at diagnosing breast cancer
May 2, 2018: FIGO – “Researchers from the University of Michigan in the US have developed a new method of diagnosing breast cancer that may be significantly more effective than mammograms. The team at the university has been working on a pill that will make tumours light up when exposed to infrared light, with this test having been demonstrated in the laboratory on mice. It works by using a dye that will show up under the light when it encounters a molecule found in cancerous cells.” Read more.

ASBrS 2018: breast cancer genetic testing guidelines exclude almost half of high-risk patients
May 5, 2018: ASCO Post – “Current restrictive genetic testing guidelines exclude many patients who harbor high-risk breast cancer mutations, according to two new studies presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) 19th Annual Meeting.”Read more.

New data prompts CDC to examine adequacy of pre-op work up by gynecologists
May 4, 2018: Cancer Letter – “In response to a congressional letter and a new study on the prevalence of undiagnosed hidden uterine cancers, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are considering launching a review of whether gynecologists are sufficiently thorough in evaluating patients in the preoperative setting, according to insiders with knowledge of the agency’s plans.” Read more.

Approaching a case of stage 3C ovarian cancer
April 30, 2018: “Expert Robert L. Coleman, MD, reviews the case of a 38-year old woman who presents with stage 3 epithelial ovarian cancer.” Read more.

Carboplatin in BRCA1/2-mutated and triple-negative breast cancer BRCAness subgroups: the TNT Trial
April 30, 2018: Nature Medicine – “We conclude that patients with advanced TNBC benefit from characterization of BRCA1/2mutations, but not BRCA1 methylation or Myriad HRD analyses, to inform choices on platinum-based chemotherapy. Additionally, gene expression analysis of basal-like cancers may also influence treatment selection.” Read more.

Genetic testing, treatment advances offer ‘hope on the horizon’ for ovarian cancer
April 28, 2018: Cure – “The most exciting thing for us right now is being able to identify these genes that increase your risk, being able to implement appropriate screening procedures, doing the surgery and the cascade testing, and preventing these diseases from even occurring.” Read more.

Ovarian cancer dream team helps with genetic testing process
April 28, 2018: Cure – “A new study may help make the genetic testing process more convenient in real-time, according to Stephanie V. Blank, M.D., of director of gynecologic oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.” Read more.

Size matters when fighting cancer
April 27, 2018: Science Daily – “Doctors could be a step closer to finding the most effective way to treat cancer with a double whammy of a virus combined with boosting the natural immune system, according to a pioneering study.” Read the article.

ESTRO 37: Brachytherapy for patients with cervical cancer does not increase risk of ureteral stricture
April 27, 2018 – “A rare but potentially serious complication following radiation treatment for cervical cancer is a narrowing of the tube that takes urine from the kidneys to the bladder (the ureter), which can lead to kidney damage and sometimes life-threatening infections. ” Read more.

Cancer is causing complications
April 25, 2018: Healthline – “Many women are experiencing severe and long-lasting side effects after getting a LEEP. So why isn’t the medical community listening?” Read more.

High-grade endometrioid endometrial cancers likely to benefit from immunotherapy
April 24, 2018: Cure – “Researchers evaluates microsatellite instability-high status, tumor mutation burden and high PD-L1 expression to determine which grade of tumors would benefit from immunotherapy treatment among women with endometrioid endometrial cancer.” Read more.

How working dogs are sniffing out cancer
April 21, 2018: Penn Today – At the University of Pennsylvania, dogs have been trained to detect early stage ovarian cancer using plasma samples. This research could translate to a device that could be used in a clinic. Read more.

Researchers seek to improve early cancer detection with gene-based tests
April 20, 2018: Oncology Times – “The key to reducing cancer deaths is early detection. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore are exploring how to use cancer  gene discoveries to develop screening assays to improve survival rates among cancer patients.” Read the article.

Dr. Monk of combination therapies in patients with ovarian cancer
April 19, 2018: Onc Live – “These signals are now translating into larger randomized trials with the potential for accelerated FDA approvals. Bringing checkpoint inhibitors to the clinic for patients with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer has garnered much excitement to the field.” See more.

Diet linked with tumor aggressiveness in endometrial cancer
April 19, 2018: Onc Live – “The obese state of mouse models was shown to promote tumor aggressiveness in endometrial cancer, according to Lindsay West, MD.” See more.

Sedentary lifestyle drastically increases risk of dying from cancer
April 18, 2018: NewsWise – “One of the most striking observations was that previously inactive patients who began exercising after their diagnosis increased their odds of survival by nearly 30%.” Read more.

Study assesses immunotherapies for precancerous cervical lesions, advanced disease
April 18, 2018: Healio – “Researchers at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center are conducting two clinical trials designed to investigate a form of immunotherapy for patients at both the precancerous and most advanced stage of cervical cancer.” Read more.

Pre-clinical data demonstrating promising potential of prexigebersen as treatment for solid tumors in gynecologic malignancies presented at American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting
April 18, 2018: Kaplan Herald – “The data showed there was an eighty-six percent (86%) decrease in tumor burden (p<0.05), and multinodular burden (p<0.01) in the combination prexigebersen/paclitaxel group compared to control.  In addition, there was no apparent toxicity with mice on combination therapy losing less weight than the paclitaxel-only group (P = 0.005).” Read more.

What’s the latest in immunotherapy for gynecologic cancers?
April 18, 2018: Dana Farber – In a recent Facebook Live chat, Ursula Matulonis, MD, director of Gynecologic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discussed the research advances, relevant clinical trials, and the excitement around the use of immunotherapy and its approaches for treating all gynecologic cancer. See more.

Study finds relationship between PTEN loss, potential for immune response in BRCA 1/2-deficient ovarian cancer
April 16, 2018: Medical XPress – “The protein known as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is frequently mutated or affected by cancer as tumors develop. Now a new study shows PTEN may serve as a marker for whether a patient with BRCA 1-2 deficient ovarian cancer is likely to respond to checkpoint inhibitor therapy.” Read more.

Taselisib monotherapy appears active in PIK3CA-mutated solid tumors
April 15, 2018: Healio – “Taselisib demonstrated preliminary clinical activity and exhibited an acceptable safety profile as monotherapy for patients with PIK3CA-mutated locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.” Read more.

Automated screening for cervical cancer is fast and accurate
April 13, 2018: Everyday Health – “The most important thing is they are automating the Pap test read, which means that it would allow for high-quality Pap tests everywhere, especially for parts of the world where Pap tests aren’t available because there isn’t anyone available to read them accurately.” Read more.  See another article from MedPage Today

Advanced ovarian cancer survival rates longer after primary cytoreductive surgery compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy
April 12, 2018: Clinical Advisor – Primary cytoreductive surgery (PCS) is associated with a longer survival rate compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in patients with stage IIIC and IV high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC), according to a study published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. Read more.

A personalized vaccine helps patients fight back against ovarian cancer
April 12, 2018: LA Times – “Because the treatment uses the patient’s immune cells as a sort of T-cell training force, it is an immunotherapy. Because it uses the distinctive proteins on a patient’s own tumor as homing beacons, it is a targeted therapy. And because a patient’s own cells are harvested and returned to her, it is personalized therapy.” Read more.

Genomic analysis of 33 cancer types completed
April 10, 2018: NIH – “Cancer is caused by changes to DNA that affect the way cells grow and divide. There are at least 200 forms of cancer, with many subtypes. Identifying the changes in each cancer’s complete set of DNA—its genome—and understanding how these changes interact to drive the disease will lay the foundation for improving cancer prevention, early detection, and tailored treatments.” Read more.

FDA approves rucaparib for maintenance in recurrent ovarian cancer
April 7, 2018: AMJC – “FDA on Friday approved rucaparib, sold by Clovis Oncology as Rubraca, for maintenance treatment of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.” Read more. 

Matulonis highlights early promise seen with pembrolizumab/mirvetuximab soravtansine combo in ovarian cancer
April 6, 2018: Targeted Oncology – “According to initial results presented at the 2018 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting, 43% of the first 14 patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer treated with the combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and mirvetuximab soravtansine (IMGN853), a folate receptor-alpha antibody drug conjugate (ADC), had partial responses.” Read more.

Study: No increased risk of serious AEs with combined urogyn/gyn onc surgery
April 4, 2018: MDEdge – “Intraoperative and serious postoperative adverse events do not occur more frequently with concurrent urogynecologic and gynecologic oncology procedures versus the latter alone, but minor adverse events are more common, according to findings from a retrospective matched cohort study.” Read more.

PARP-7 mutation associated with longer ovarian cancer survival
April 4, 2018: Healio – “Patients with ovarian cancer with gene amplification of the PARP-7 protein had longer OS than patients without it, suggesting the protein may play an important role in survival, according to study results presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.” Read more.

Experimental gene test shows promise for early detection of gynecologic cancers
April 4, 2018: Genomic – “Adding DNA collection to the routine Pap test may improve cancer diagnoses.” Read more. 

Obese, overweight women at increased risk for cervical cancer
April 3, 2018: Healio – “Women with overweight and obesity had a higher risk for cervical cancer, but lower rates of cervical precancer, according to a retrospective analysis published in Journal of Clinical Oncology.” Read more.

Participation in clinical trials may eliminate ovarian cancer survival disparities
April 2, 2018: Healio – “Improving the diversity of enrollment in clinical trials may improve health disparities among women with ovarian cancer, according to study results presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.” Read more.

Double mastectomy may reduce risk for cancer, death among BRCA1 carriers
April 2, 2018: Healio – “Healthy women who carried the BRCA1 mutation had reduced risk for developing breast cancer and mortality if they underwent bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy, according to results of a prospective study presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference.” Read more.

Potential of manipulating gut microbiome to boost efficacy of cancer immunotherapies
April 2, 2018: Science Daily – “The composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract may hold clues to help predict which cancer patients are most apt to benefit from the personalized cellular therapies that have shown unprecedented promise in the fight against hard-to-treat cancers.” Read more.

Only certain gynecologic malignancies benefit from immunotherapy
April 2, 2018: Cure Today – “Certain histologies may be better suited for immunotherapy treatment compared with others – all determined by microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) status, tumor mutation burden (TMB) and PD-L1 expression.” Read more.

SGO 2018: immunotherapy/PARP inhibitor combination produces remissions in ovarian cancer
March 30, 2018: ASCO Post – “A combination of the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and the DNA repair–blocking agent niraparib (Zejula) can be significantly more effective than either drug alone in women with hard-to-treat ovarian cancer, a phase I/II clinical trial led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers demonstrated. The investigators presented their findings at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.” Read more.

Does Trastuzumab plus Carbo/Paclitaxel Up PFS in advanced HER2+ uterine carcinoma?
March 30, 2018: Cancer Network – The addition of trastuzumab to the combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel was well tolerated among women with advanced or recurrent uterine serous carcinoma (USC) tumors that overexpress the tyrosine kinase human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu)” Read more.

Combined PARP, checkpoint inhibitor regimens show ovarian cancer activity
March 29, 2018: Ob Gyn News – “Results from the first two trials to assess the efficacy of combined treatment with a PARP inhibitor plus an immune checkpoint inhibitor in patients with ovarian cancer showed promising results in both phase 2.” Read more.

Lower leg lymphedema common after gyn surgery
March 29, 2018: MedPage Today – “Approximately 20-40% of women have significant lower-extremity lymphedema after surgery for gynecologic cancer, according to data from the most comprehensive study of the issue to date.” Read more.

Targeted combo active in advanced ovarian combo
March 28, 2018: MedPage Today – “The combination of a PARP inhibitor and a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor proved active in different populations of recurrent ovarian cancer, according to results of two preliminary clinical studies reported here at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology meeting.” Read more.

Nearly one-in-five women with cervical cancer are diagnosed after age 65
March 28, 2018: Cancer Network – “Statistically controlling for hysterectomies revealed that cervical cancer rates are higher among women older than 65.” Read more.

Mutant protein linked to ovarian cancer could be new treatment target
March 28, 2018: UPI – “Researchers have found a mutant protein that is linked to ovarian cancer growth, prompting the possibility of new drugs to target this regulator.”  Read more.

Promise seen with frontline pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in ovarian cancer
March 28, 2018: Targeted Oncology – “The combination of first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy plus the anti-PD-1 agent pembrolizumab (Keytruda), followed by pembrolizumab maintenance therapy, was safe and tolerable in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, according to preliminary data from a small clinical trial presented at the 2018 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting.” Read more.

Unexpected outcome in hysterectomy study
March 27, 2018: MedPage Today – “Women undergoing radical hysterectomy for early cervical cancer had a significantly higher risk of disease recurrence and worse long-term survival with minimally invasive surgery (MIS), including robotic-assisted procedures, two separate studies showed.” Read more.

In relapsed ovarian cancer, responses achieved with PARP/checkpoint inhibitor combo
March 27, 2018: Targeted Oncology – “According to results from the phase II MEDIOLA trial, the combination of olaparib (Lynparza), a PARP inhibitor, and durvalumab (Imfinzi), a PD-L1 inhibitor, was found to induce objective responses in over 70% of patients with relapsed, platinum-sensitive, BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer.” Read more.

Analysis comparing PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer
March 27, 2018: Targeted Oncology – “The results of a network meta-analysis, which compared efficacy and safety findings from studies of 3 FDA-approved PARP inhibitors as maintenance therapy for patients with relapsed platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, demonstrated that similar efficacy results were seen across the 3 PARP inhibitors, but safety results differed. ” Read more.

Indocyanin green improves sentinel node detection in uterine malignancies
March 25, 2018: Cancer Therapy Advisor – “For this prospective study, researchers randomly assigned 180 patients with cervical or uterine cancers to undergo intraoperative cervical injection with isosulfan blue followed by ICG or vice versa.” Read more.

Recurrent endometrial ca responds to mTOR drug
March 25, 2018: Med Page Today – “Combination therapy with everolimus (Afinitor) and letrozole (Femara) demonstrated encouraging activity in recurrent endometrial cancer, particularly in patients with no prior chemotherapy, according to a randomized trial reported here.” Read more.

The new HPV vaccination policy in France
March 22, 2018: NEJM – “This change in policy has two goals. The first is to dispel the ambiguity in decision making between mandatory and recommended vaccinations; this ambiguity may partly explain the lower vaccination coverage in France than in its European neighbors and in much of the world. The second goal is to reconcile the general population in France to the use of vaccines at a time when the level of confidence in them here is among the lowest anywhere.” Read more.

Palliative care program development in a low- to middle-income country: delivery of care by nongovernmental organization in India
March, 2018: Journal of Global Oncology – Demand for palliative care services has increased substantially, with an increasing proportion related to cancer. The organization of clinical services by TIPS may serve as a model for the development of other palliative care programs in low- and middle-income countries. Read the article.

Treating aggressive ovarian cancer: current & emerging approaches
March 20, 2018: Oncology Times – This article discusses treatment planning, fighting recurrence, and improvement of outcomes. Read more.

Tumor-derived T cells show promise against ovarian cancer
March 16, 2018: Fierce Biotech – “A team of scientists from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Lausanne, Switzerland, found that epithelial ovarian tumors contain T cells that are particularly good at identifying and killing cancer cells. ” Read more. 

FDA grants priority review to keytruda for advanced cervical cancer
March 16, 2018: Immuno-oncology News – “The decision marks the first time the FDA has accepted, and agreed to a priority review of,  an anti-PD-1 therapy in cervical cancer, Merck said. PD-1 is a protein associated with many cancers.” Read more.

Common STD may double ovarian cancer risk
March 15, 2018: MSN – “Women who had chronic chlamydia infections had twice the risk of ovarian cancer compared to women with no evidence of ever having been infected, researchers are expected to report at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April.” Read more.

Laparoscopic hysterectomy safest even for markedly enlarged uteri
March 15, 2018: MDedge – “The complication rate is lower with laparoscopic hysterectomy than with abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy – even for uteri over 500 g, according to findings from a nationwide cohort of more than 27,000 women.” Read more.

HPV screening results changed depending on test used
March 13, 2018: MedPage Today – “Human papillomavirus (HPV) messenger RNA (mRNA) assays may be less sensitive at detecting latent HPV infections, as women who previously tested positive for HPV via a DNA test then tested negative with mRNA testing, a quality-improvement study found.” Read more.

Dr. Crane on the toxicity profile of combinations for ovarian cancer
March 13, 2018: OncLive – “Erin K. Crane, MD, MPH, gynecologic oncologist, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas HealthCare System, discusses the toxicity profile of combination regimens for patients with ovarian cancer. When you combine cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs there tends to be a higher toxicity profile, but physicians are learning more about this from ongoing trials, explains Crane.” See the video interview.

Cancer treatment guidelines questioned in new study
March 8, 2018: CNN – “The strength of evidence referenced by the US-based group, referred to as the NCCN, when formulating guidelines and making recommendations appears to be weak, according to the study published in the journal BMJ on Wednesday.” Read more.

Ovarian cancer in T2D: no link between metformin or statins
March 5, 2018: Endocrinology Advisor – “In women with type 2 diabetes, no evidence was found of an association between the use of metformin or statins and the incidence of ovarian cancer, according to a study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.” Read more.

How effective is peritoneal chemotherapy for ovarian cancer?
March 5, 2018: Medical News Bulletin – “A recent study in the Netherlands evaluated whether the standard treatment or intraperitoneal chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is the favourable treatment option.” Read more.

Australia could become first country to eradicate cervical cancer
March 3, 2018: The Guardian: “Australia could become the first country to eradicate cervical cancer, according to an announcement from the International Papillomavirus Society. New research, published on Sunday, reveals that Australia’s free HPV vaccine program in schools has led to a dramatic decline in future cervical cancer rates.” Read more.

Here’s how viruses inactivate the immune system, causing cancer
March 2, 2018: Science Daily – “While viruses certainly have the ability to edit human DNA — most obviously by inserting their own genetic code into DNA so that the new viruses are built alongside DNA replication — the review article explains that viruses do not necessarily turn off the immune system by editing genes.” Read more.

Potent anti-cancer drug effect in rare ovarian cancer
March 1, 2018: Science Daily – “An anti-cancer drug used to fight leukemia shows promise against a rare and aggressive type of ovarian cancer — small cell carcinoma of the ovary hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) — which strikes young women and girls, according to a new study.” Read more.

Managing cancer pain in an era or modern oncology
March 2018: Practical Pain Management – ” A review of current, evolving, and needed strategies for treating cancer patients living with chronic pain. Read more.

Ovarian Cancer Case Study
February 28, 2018: Targeted Oncology – “In this case-based interview, Bradley J. Monk, MD, FACOG, FACS, reviews the case of a 40-year-old Caucasian female patient who presents with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer and the treatment approach for this type of patient.” See more.

Use of intrauterine devices may reduce cervical cancer risk
February 28, 2018: Healio – “The use of an intrauterine device appeared associated with a significant decrease in invasive cervical cancer incidence, according to study findings.” Read more.

Familial breast cancer not only inherited genetically, finds new study
February 28, 2018: Science Daily – “Doctors will be better able to predict breast cancer risk thanks to pioneering work by researchers, who have identified heritable but non-genetic markers for breast cancer susceptibility.” Read more.

CIN2 regression rates underestimated – active surveillance better than excision for some patients
February 28, 2018: MedPage Today – “More untreated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 lesions (CIN2) than previously thought regress spontaneously, making it “of utmost importance” to treat only those patients at significant risk of progressive disease, according to researchers.” Read more.

Cervical cancer immunotherapy candidate launches phase 3 study
February 26, 2018: Precisionvaccinations.com – “AIM2CERV cervical cancer vaccine study is to compare the disease-free survival rate of women who take AXAL.” Read more.

5-year overall survival in endometrial cancer not improved with chemoradiotherapy
February 22, 2018: Oncology Nurse Advisor – “Adjuvant chemotherapy administered concurrently with and after radiotherapy does not prolong 5-year overall survival (OS) among patients with high-risk endometrial cancer, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.” Read more.

Patients, caregivers express need for improved survivorship care in gynecologic oncology
February, 21, 2018: Journal of Clinical Pathways – “Widespread recommendation of survivorship care plans has occurred over the past decade. However, evidence-based content and processes for providing survivorship care planning—particularly in gynecologic oncology—remains undefined.” Read more.

Oncologist critical in motivating cancer survivors to exercise
February 20, 2018: Medscape – “Survivors may be more motivated to change their behavior when the advice comes from their oncologist…patients tended to be more physically active when the exercise recommendation came from their treating oncologist.” Read more.

The rs1024611 in the CCL2 gene and risk of gynecologic cancer in Asians: a meta-analysis
February 20, 2018: World Journal of Surgical Oncology – “The -2518A/G (rs1024611) polymorphism of the CCL2 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 2), also known as MCP-1 (monocyte chemotactic protein-1) gene, has been reported to be associated with increased gynecological cancer risk, but the results are conflicting.” Read the full article.

Doctors said immunotherapy would not cure her cancer. They were wrong.
February 19, 2018: New York Times – “If researchers can figure out what happened here, they may open the door to new treatments for a wide variety of other cancers thought not to respond to immunotherapy.” Read more.

Self-sampling followed by HVP testing can benefit women at risk of cervical cancer
February 16, 2018: Using self-sampling followed by HPV testing, more than twice as many women at risk of developing cervical cancer could be identified and offered preventive treatment. Read more.

IRX Therapeutics announces initiation of phase 2 clinical trial in IRX-2 in squamous cervical or vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia 3
February 14, 2018: Business Wire – “the first patient has been dosed in an investigator-sponsored Phase 2 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of IRX-2 in women with squamous cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN3) or vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (VIN3).” Read more.

Cutting off cancer’s fuel supply stymies tumors
February 14, 2018: Science Daily – “Researchers have shown that cervical tumors that don’t respond to radiation may be vulnerable to therapies that also attack the cancer’s fuel supply.” Read more.

FDA approves test to identify women with icreased risk for cervical cancer
February 13, 2018: Cure Today – “BD Onclarity HPV Assay, a test that can detect up to 14 types of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and provides information on women who are at risk for cervical cancer, received pre-market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a press release by Betcon, Dickinson and Company, the New Jersey-based manufacturer of the test.” Read more.

Dr. Arend on the rationale of novel combinations in gynecologic cancer
Festbruary 10, 2018: Onc Live – “Patients with gynecologic cancer who respond to single-agent immunotherapy have a high number of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). However, a patient also needs the right antibodies, such as CD137 or CD103. According to Arend, those T cells can become exhausted and will stop responding to immunotherapy.” See her interview.

Olaparib maintenance therapy prolongs PFS for BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer
February 2, 2018: Healio – “Olaparib tablets significantly prolonged PFS compared with placebo among patients with BRCA1/BRCA2-positive high-grade serous ovarian cancer, according to results of the randomized phase 3 SOLO2/ENGOT Ov-21 clinical trial.” Read more.

Antidepressants may not increase ovarian cancer risk
February 1, 2018: Cancer Therapy Advisor – “Duration and intensity of antidepressant treatment does not have an impact on epithelial ovarian cancer risk, according to research published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.” Read more.

The end of toxic chemo? Blocking vitamin B-2 may stop cancer
January 31, 2018: Medical News Today – “New research published in the journal Aging finds a compound that stops cancer cells from spreading by starving them of vitamin B-2. The findings may revolutionize traditional chemotherapy.” Read more.

Dr. Coleman on the role of ramucirumab in gynecologic cancer
January 29, 2018: Onc Live – “Although ramucirumab is not being looked at in ovarian cancer, in endometrial, ovarian, and cervical cancers, that receptor seems to be important and continues to be investigated.” Read more.

Should all women be tested for breast, ovarian cancer gene mutations?
January 26, 2018: Healthline – “Researchers say testing women age 30 and over would reduce the number of breast and ovarian cancer cases.” Read more.

Calls of 3 advanced cancers die with drug-like compounds that reverse chemo failure
January 23, 2018: Science Daily – “Wet-lab experiments confirm the accuracy of an earlier computational discovery that three drug-like compounds successfully penetrate micro-tumors of advanced cancers to aid chemo in destroying the cancer.” Read the article.

Eight cancers could be diagnosed with a single blood test
January 19, 2018: Medical News Today – “The new blood test works by identifying the markers for 16 gene mutations and eight proteins that are associated with eight different cancer types. These include breast, lung, and colorectal cancer, as well as five cancers — ovarian, liver, stomach, pancreatic, and esophageal — for which there are currently no routine screening tests for people at average risk.” Read more.

Long-term birth control use reduces risk for ovarian, endometrial cancers
January 19, 2018: Healio – “More than 10 years of oral contraceptive use appeared associated with significant reductions in risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers, according to data published in JAMA Oncology.” Read more.

New therapies for endometrial cancer treatment
January 17, 2018: Medical News Bulletin – “A recent study published in Gynecologic Oncology Research and Practice reviews suggested endometrial cancer treatment options.” Read more.

Heated abdominal chemo bath improves ovarian cancer survival
January 17, 2018: Reuters – “A heated chemotherapy organ bath circulated throughout the abdomen after surgery can significantly prolong a woman’s survival with advanced ovarian cancer, according to doctors testing the new treatment.” Read more.

Preoperative imaging remains integral to endometrial cancer diagnosis
January 15, 2018: Onc Live – “An observational study is investigating the efficacy of PET/MRI in detecting metastatic disease in patients with endometrial cancer. The aim of this trial is to determine whether PET/MRI imaging will provide physicians with preoperative information about specific sites in the body where disease is present.” Read more.

Endometriosis may share molecular features with gynecological cancers, study finds
January 10, 2018: Compared to healthy women, patients with endometriosis have higher blood levels of a molecule that is linked to gynecological cancers, researchers from Taiwan report.

Peripheral neurotoxicity in gynecologic oncology patients who received paclitaxel
January 9, 2018: Pharmacy & Pharmacology International Journal – “60.6%of the patients who received paclitaxel reported sensory neurotoxicity which became worse after 2 cycles whereas a minority of the patients reported motor impairment.” Read the full article.

Study shows brachytherapy for cervical cancer a net loss for hospitals
January 5, 2018: Oncology Times – “The evidence is clear: cervical cancer is best treated with brachytherapy. Yet the use of this potentially lifesaving treatment has been declining, and a new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine (UVA), Charlottesville, may explain why. Read more.

Researcher describe key cellular receptor involved in ovarian cancer metastasis
January 4, 2018: News Medical – “The IDIBELL-ICO research team has succeeded in associating the expression of the CXCR4 receptor in ovarian tumor cells to their dissemination potential through the bloodstream. CXCR4 is a receptor involved in blood cell movement, which had previously been related to processes of dissemination in breast cancer.” Read more.

Anti-estrogenic drugs can stablilise cervical cancer, shows research
January 4, 2018: Deccan Herald: “The study by a group of doctors from Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) and Shodhaka Life Sciences Private Limited through lab tests proved that the cancerous cells in cervical cancer patients can be stabilised with anti-estrogenic drugs. This drug suppresses the cancerous cells in patients.” Read more.

Hysterectomy with ovarian conservation tied to CV risks
January 3, 2018: MedPage Today – “Women who underwent a hysterectomy with ovarian conservation may be at greater risk for several cardiometabolic conditions, researchers reported.” Read more.

Aivita launches phase 2 trial of dendritic cell immunotherapy for ovarian cancer
January 3, 2018: Ovarian Cancer News Today: “Aivita Biomedical has initiated a Phase 2 trial of a new kind of dendritic cell immunotherapy for certain types of ovarian cancer. The therapy uses a patient’s own dendritic cells, which are boosted to fight the tumor by exposure to tumor proteins.” Read more.

Read archived news stories.

 

We are saddened to announce the sudden death of Professor Martin Gore CBE who died on January 10, 2019 after a routine inoculation for yellow fever caused total organ failure.

Professor Gore served on the 2006-2008 IGCS Council as the Medical Oncologist Council Member and was a member of the 2008 Scientific Program Committee. He contributed greatly to IGCS’s educational initiatives such as the Virtual Journal Club during that time and was an invited speaker at the 2006 IGCS Biennial Meeting.

He was a professor of cancer medicine at the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust and the Institute of Cancer Research in London. His main research interests were the development of new therapies for advanced ovarian cancer. In 2015 he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the president of Royal Marsden, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

The hospital announced his death in a statement yesterday, saying: “His contribution as medical director for ten years, a trustee of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and as a clinician is unparalleled. He has been a friend, colleague and mentor to so many people and his loss will be immense.”

His colleague and former IGCS Council Member, Dr. Jonathan Ledermann informed us of his passing, stating, “He was a man of great intellect and humour, an astute clinician and great teacher who made major contributions to Gynaecological Oncology among his many other achievements. We will remember him with great affection at this very sad time.”

The Times released an article which acknowledges Professor Gore’s many achievements and outstanding clinical and research contributions to the oncology field. The piece also includes sentiments from his colleagues and patients.

He was a remarkable man and will be missed by many. His life and contributions to the international gynaecologic oncology community are to be celebrated. His legacy will live on through his work, and through the colleagues and patients he has taught, inspired and healed.