Monthly Spotlights
Ovarian Cancer
The late Patty Franchi Flaherty, ovarian cancer research advocate and co-founder of Ovations for the Cure.
An estimated 21,650 new cases of ovarian cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2008, according to the American Cancer Society.
The five-year survival rate for early stage ovarian cancer is more than 70 percent. Yet often, it isn't detected until after it has spread. Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer can also be at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.
On this page, you can learn about ovarian cancer risk and screening programs, as well as recent research and ovarian cancer treatment at Dana-Farber.
Ovarian Cancer Resources
- Ovarian cancer treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Clinical trials for ovarian cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Breast and ovarian cancer risk and prevention program at Dana-Farber
- Ovarian cancer symptoms and treatment options
Ovarian Cancer Awareness
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center are members of the Massachusetts Ovarian Cancer Awareness Coalition, made up of organizations with a common goal: increasing awareness of ovarian cancer. Visit www.ovariancancerawareness.org.
Personal Profile
Ovarian Cancer Stories
Facing the challenges of ovarian cancer
Promising research at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Womens Cancer Center focuses on improving cure rates for this hard-to-detect disease that often is discovered at advanced stages.
Ovarian cancer warning signs: "Be your own advocate"
Until a true early screening tool for ovarian cancer appears, women should be alert for new or unusual symptoms.
How tissue banking works
This photo gallery describes the collection, study, and preservation of material in Dana-Farber's ovarian tumor tissue bank.
Ovarian Cancer News and Research
Myth Busters: The truth about the CA 125 test
Should you ask your doctor for an annual CA 125 blood test to check for early signs of ovarian cancer? The simple answer is no.
Fingerprinting drug resistance in ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer has attracted a relatively small share of research funding; knowledge of the disease is a decade behind that of breast cancer, researchers estimate. A new initiative by researchers and physicians at Dana-Farber may begin to close the gap.
Drugs given via catheter into the abdomen increase survival in women with ovarian cancer
Intraperitoneal therapy suggests "a very significant improvement in survival," according to Ursula Matulonis, MD, director of Gynecologic Oncology at Dana-Farber.
Searching for biomarkers of ovarian cancers
Ninety-five percent of women whose cancer is found before it has spread outside the ovary survive a minimum of five years, making early detection crucial. Researchers at Dana-Faber are in search of proteins specific to ovarian cancer that show up at the onset of the disease.
