Conventional therapy for advanced-stage ovarian cancer—ie, aggressive cytoreductive surgery followed by aggressive chemotherapy—was established more than 3 decades ago [Editor’s note: See Dr. Schwartz’s article, “Cytoreductive Surgery in the Management of Ovarian Cancer,” in last month’s issue of ONCOLOGY]. Since that time, no prospective randomized trials have been reported to confirm the efficacy of this treatment strategy. More>>

The question of a well-defined role for the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer is recognized to be one of the most hotly debated issues in the management of female pelvic malignancies.[1-3] One group of oncologists would argue that it should be the rare patient (eg, with severe comorbidity) who is not a candidate for an initial attempt at maximal cytoreduction.[1] More>>

Ovarian cancer is a unique malignancy. While the disease can spread hematogenously or via the lymphatic system, the bulk of the tumor is found on peritoneal surfaces. This peritoneal disease results from shedding of ovarian tumor cells into the peritoneal cavity, circulation of these cells throughout the abdomen and pelvis, and eventual implantation onto peritoneal surfaces. More>>

The standard management for advanced-stage ovarian cancer was established in the mid-1970s. At a 1974 National Cancer Institute Consensus Conference on Ovarian Cancer, Griffiths presented data supporting the role for aggressive cytoreductive surgery as the first step in the management of this disease, followed by cytotoxic chemotherapy. More>>

The magnitude of the role surgical exploration and extirpation play in the contemporary management of patients with advanced ovarian cancer is hard to overstate. Beyond diagnostic confirmation, the aggressive posture taken to remove bulk disease provides—among other benefits—symptomatic relief, theoretically enhanced immunologic integrity, chemosensitivity, and improved survival characteristics. More>>

As outlined in the comprehensive review by Dr. Schwartz, cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy is considered the standard of care in the initial management of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Considering prognostic factors for patients with advanced disease, residual disease after primary surgery is still considered to be the most important modifiable prognostic factor influencing survival. This has again been recently confirmed by a large retrospective study... More>>

Photography exhibit features breast and ovarian cancer patients and families More>>

The patient, DB, is a 51-year-old white, married female with a strong family history of breast cancer. She presented for high-risk assessment and genetic testing following the discovery of a deleterious mutation in a family member. More>>

I n a study published in the Journal of Women's Health (16:971-986, 2007), researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Thomson Healthcare found a distinct pattern of medical signs and symptoms that occurred prior to the detection of ovarian cancer. More>>

C.W., is a 46-year-old white female who presented to her gynecologist complaining of an egg-shaped mass between her right hip bone and umbilicus, and irregular menstrual cycles. Physical examination confirmed a large palpable mass in her lower abdominal area. Past medical history was unremarkable. She was not taking any regular medications. She has been married for 17 years and has worked as a respiratory therapist for 16 years in a large pediatric hospital. She had been actively participating... More>>