Dec 21, 11 09:47PM
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Canadian researchers affiliated with the Ovarian Cancer Research Program of British Columbia report that recurrent, lifetime-acquired mutations affecting the DICER1 gene occur in a range of nonepithelial ovarian tumors as well as other rare cancer tumor types, and appear common in Sertoli-Leydig ovarian tumors. The study findings were published online today in the New England Journal [...]
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Sign in nowElaine, thank you for the kind words in regard to Libby. All the best, Paul
Dee, thank you for the kind words in regard to Libby, and thank you as well for your excellent ongoing ovarian cancer advocacy. Your work truly provides hope to others. All the best, Paul
Elaine,
It is important to keep in mind that PARP inhibitors really didn’t hit stride (i.e., good results in major studies) until 2010 with respect to hereditary breast and ovarian cancers attributable to germline (inherited) BRCA gene mutations. At the end of last year and into this year, we are now learning that they may possess potential against somatic (lifetime acquired) BRCA gene mutations and other defects (including the RAD51 gene) in the major DNA repair cellular pathway. In 2010, an important first step was taken with the preclinical development of a potential RAD51 assay which can predict the potential response of ovarian cancer cells to in vitro PARP inhibition. More research will have to be performed to develop additional biomarkers which can determine those patients who will respond best to PARP inhibitors.
That explains in part why there has not been a large amount of PARP ovarian and solid tumor clinical studies that are currently recruiting new patients. As of this writing, there are approximately three primary PARP inhibitors that are being tested in 10 “open” or “announced” ovarian cancer trials involving ABT-888 (Veliparib), olaparib (AZD2281), or iniparib (BSI-201). See list of open ovarian cancer involving PARP inhibitors.
If we include “open” or “announced” solid tumor clinical trials involving PARP inhibitors, the number of ovarian cancer and solid tumor trials increases to 21, with the addition of the following drugs: CEP-9722, PF-01367338, BMN 673, and MK-4827. Additional PARP clinical trial drugs or preclinical compounds include E7016, A-966492, AG14361, and INO-1001.
We think that you will see more drug development activity for ovarian cancer given the results of The Cancer Genome Atlas study with respect to high-grade serous ovarian cancer (i.e., up to 50% of HGS-OvCa tumors may respond to PARP inhibitors given the identified deficiencies in the DNA repair pathway).
Hopefully, the information above sheds some light on your inquiry.
All the best, Paul
Anything that helps to raise cancer aware and lead to more NED for women like me –
is a wonderful thing. I read all FB posts about ovarian cancer and share them as well.
It’s important that we educate women of all ages to learn the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Since their is no screening method currently for detecting OC, the sooner we can instill in women the importance of getting regular gynecologic exams and knowing what symptoms to look for, the better. Though rare in younger women, the fact is Ovarian Cancer strikes women of ALL ages. We need to stop looking at the statistics because thinking like that can kill.
Thank You
Although I understood that there would be a period where I might be placed in the group receiving Placebo; I did not expect my Doctor to lie to me to tell me over and over how well I was doing even though the Scans said otherwise, he always said that I was doing better than anyone else on the study and that I was tolerating a higher dose than anyone else even though I felt like I was dying from the treatment. I did not go in for the lies. My tumors had extremely good response to the drug in the beginning but when push comes to shove, I am NOT going to die for the good of the study.
I was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in January 2010. Following a hysterectomy, chemo and avastin therapy; I continue to watch several small tumors. I understand that I will always be in some form of treatment.
I have a sister 9 years my junior, and a daughter , who is 41. Should I request a DNA test for KRAS?
Joy, I’m so sorry you had such a bad experience. It’s terrible that your doctor would lie to you to keep you in the study.
Thanks so very much, Paul, for sharing our Run/Walk on Libby’s H*O*P*E* site.
We will walk for you who does so much for ovarian cancer awareness!
Our thanks,
Nancy
No, you shouldn’t. Not for KRAS at least. These findings were disproved by a far larger study involving a international consortia.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/740610
http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/17/11/3742.abstract
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/20/8/1793.abstract
If there is a history of breast or ovarian cancer in your family (grandmother, mother, aunt, sisters..) with early age of onset or breast cancer in a male family member, then you should consider talking to your physician about genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
Thank you Paul for such an inspirational and uplifting post. Then I saw where the main enduring source of inspiration came from as Libby and smiled as all suddenly felt well with the world. It must be to you, as if she penned much of these thoughts and spirit herself , such is your closeness and affinity with her.
There us much to absorb here and the overiding spirit and feeling is HOPE and excitement about advances which are possible in the future by our Drs,Oncologists, cancer treatment researchers and all our caregivers.
This post is so inspirational and uplifting I have printed it to carry with me in my purse to take out and read when I wish to feel life can really be better for all cancer patients
my very best wishes to you and yours
Lindy
Lindy,
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comments, as we have so enjoyed corresponding with you in the past. Libby is indeed the source of our inspiration, and we pray each day that she guides us through that inspiration. But, ovarian cancer survivors, like you, inspire us as well. Truth be told, we learn so much more from our daily communications with ovarian cancer survivors and their families, than we could possibly pass on to all of you.
We are optimistic about the future of ovarian cancer advances. We believe that for the first time in the “war on cancer” mankind is in a position — with sufficient time, money, and international cooperation — to truly understand the functionality of cancer so as to develop more targeted and effective therapies. It won’t be easy, but the technology and computing power now exists to facilitate that understanding. As we saw with The Cancer Genome Atlas study of high-grade, serous ovarian cancer, many research centers around the world need to work in unison if we want to take large strides in controlling, and ultimately beating, ovarian cancer.
We are so happy that you found the post inspirational. It is a reminder to all of us that no matter how bad things get in our daily lives, we can identify many blessings (sometimes big, sometimes small) if we take the time to reflect with gratitude.
Lindy, thank you for stopping by and please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.
All the best,
Paul
Paul,
As usual, your words warm my heart and give strength and hope to so many. With tremendous gratitude I am thankful for meeting you and feeling the spirit of Libby alive in my heart.
God Bless,
Paula
Paula,
Thank you so much. We hope that you and your family had a nice Thanksgiving holiday celebration. As always, your friendship and inspirational leadership are always part of our daily gratitude.
All the best,
Paul
I have a friend, that all of a sudden had a distended stomach/abdomen area that looked like she was pregnant over night. She did not gain any weight, but looked pregnant. Then it went away within days. She did not experience gas like symptoms, but did have pain in the abdomen. She went to the ER and they did tests. She is awaiting results from a CT Scan. Any thoughts about this?
Hi Janet,
Thank you for visiting Libby’s H*O*P*E*. We suggest that you wait for the results of the CT scan. Any evaluation of a patient must be based on the totality of the facts, including patient medical history (e.g., age and prior gynecological and gastrointestinal issues), family medical history (both maternal and paternal), blood test results, scans, etc. As a general matter, the bloating symptom associated with ovarian cancer tends to be persistent over an extended period of time (e.g., several weeks). Your friend may want to discuss with her doctor the potential benefits, if any, associated with a transvaginal ultrasound and a CA-125 blood test, assuming that neither has already been performed. However, the decision to perform additional testing must be evaluated in light of the pending CT results.
It is important to keep in mind that ovarian cancer is a rare disease within the general population. This lifetime risk is potentially affected by several factors, including: age, family history (both maternal and paternal) of ovarian, breast and/or colon cancer, Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish ancestry, early onset of menstruation, late onset of menopause, number of pregnancies, use of oral contraceptives, etc.
It seems that your friend is under a doctor’s care so he or she should be able to get to the bottom of these symptoms. If your friend is still experiencing persistent symptoms for several weeks after this evaluation, she should see an ob/gyn and discuss the symptoms with him or her. For an extended list of early ovarian cancer warning signs, click here.
We hope that the information presented above is helpful. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.
Best regards,
Paul Cacciatore
Founder, Libby’s H*O*P*E*
I am finding fewewr and fewer physicians in Louisiana. I haveovarian cancer and on my 3rd do round with chemo. I had a month of radiation last year that worked. i now have insurance, what and who do you see as the best in louisiana to treat ovarian cancer,
Dear Tina,
Thank you for your inquiry. We normally recommend that ovarian cancer survivors see a gynecologic oncologist who is associated with an institution that is a NCI-designated cancer center and/or a National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) member. Unfortunately, there are no NCI-designated cancer centers or NCCN member institutions located in Louisiana. If you were willing to travel for treatment, we highly recommend the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center. If you are willing to travel to either location, please let us know and will we provide the names of a few gynecologic oncologists at both locations.
If you are unable to travel for treatment, we would recommend two Louisiana gynecologic oncologists (of course, without knowing your proximity to their locations).
The first doctor is Richard Kline, M.D. Dr. Kline earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University (LSU), completed his residency at the Ochsner Medical Center and completed his fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Tumor Institute in Houston, Texas. He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology and has been on staff at Ochsner since 1986 when he became Ochsner’s first staff gynecologic oncologist. Dr. Kline is a recognized expert in gynecologic oncology having been named as one of the top gynecologic oncologists in the city by the New Orleans Magazine in 2009. His special interest and expertise is the treatment of malignancies of the female reproductive organs including cancer of the ovary, uterus, cervix, vagina and vulva, including radical pelvic surgery and chemotherapy. Dr. Kline is also a prolific researcher and is an investigator for the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group. He has written many articles for scientific publications including two book chapters. Dr. Kline is listed as a “Top Doctor” under the specialty of gynecologic oncology (300 gynecologic oncologists listed nationwide) by U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Kline is listed in U.S. News & World Report as among the top 1% of gynecologic oncologists in the nation. Dr. Kline is located in New Orleans.
The second doctor is Patricia Braly, M.D. Dr. Braly has locations in Covington and Metairie. Dr. Braly is associated with Women’s Cancer Care. You can find her biography on the Women’s Cancer Care website homepage. She received her medical training from University of California (UC), Irvine and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology. Dr. Braly, like Dr. Kline, is listed as a “Top Doctor” under the specialty of gynecologic oncology (300 gynecologic oncologists listed nationwide) by U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Braly is also listed in U.S. News & World Report as among the top 1% of gynecologic oncologists in the nation.
If you decide to seek treatment locally, we suggest that you seek a second treatment opinion from M.D. Anderson. At this point, you may want access to a facility that offers a range of ovarian cancer clinical trials. Dr. Kline will also have a good working knowledge of ovarian cancer clinical trials because he is an investigator with the GOG as noted above. If, at some point, you decide to pursue potential ovarian cancer or solid tumor clinical trial drugs, we can assist you in identifying trials within your preferred geographic treatment area which you can discuss with your doctor.
Tina, if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us through the “Contact” tab located on the Libby’s H*O*P*E* website homepage. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you move ahead in your fight. Keep the faith and don’t let anyone take your hope away.
Best regards,
Paul Cacciatore
Founder, Libby’s H*O*P*E*