Ovarian cancer is said to “whisper,” because the symptoms are seldom obvious. The most frequent symptoms seen in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are abdominal bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating/feeling full fast, or urinary symptoms. These are often passed off as nothing other than symptoms of getting older, gaining weight, or related to menopause. However, this whispering disease is the most lethal of all the breast and gynecologic cancers and accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.1
Late-stage ovarian cancer patients responded well to an experimental carboplatin/decitabine combination therapy, even though they had become resistant to carboplatin, Indiana University researchers report. Furthermore, the researchers believe they have discovered biomarkers that could assist in identifying patients who are most likely to benefit from this therapy.
Over the past year, data regarding 2 specific ovarian cancer management strategies have generated considerable interest within the clinical gynecologic cancer community among patients, clinicians, and researchers. One strategy involves the use of bevacizumab (Avastin), and the other approach centers on poly(ADPribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors.
ORLANDO—Women who are on intravenous (IV) chemotherapy regimens for recurrent ovarian carcinoma are at risk for nonadherence or nonpersistence with their treatment. But telephone support by an advanced practice nurse (APN) can lower this risk and even boost compliance, a new, nonrandomized study suggests.
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