NEWS / Mioca

ORAL DRUG COMBINATION MAY BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FOR RECURRENT OVARIAN CANCER

June 02 | 2014

Ignificant improvement with the use of a combination drug therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer was reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. “Of particular note is the fact that both drugs used in this trial are in pill form and could offer an alternative to intravenous chemotherapy,” said Percy Ivy, M.D., associate chief of NCI’s Investigational Drug Branch.

SGO & AACR Research News

April 26 | 2014

Two major scientific conferences, the Society for Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), recently completed revealing a wealth of scientific research news about ovarian cancer. Read a summary of the highlights here.

Advocates' Hard Work Pays Off in Research Funding

February 10 | 2014

The appropriation bill Congress recently passed for this fiscal year contains some good news for the ovarian cancer community. It allocates $20 million for the Ovarian Cancer Research Program - the amount the Alliance and our 6 MIOCA advocates requested from their legislators at Advocacy Day meetings last summer. CDC cancer control and awareness programs also received robust funding. Plus funding for both the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute--which typically fund around $100 million in ovarian cancer research yearly--will rise by around 3%.

Altered Estrogen Metabolism and Ovarian Cancer

January 02 | 2014

Eleanor Rogan, Ph.D., University of Nebraska College of Public Health, believes that epithelial ovarian cancer is initiated by an imbalance in estrogen metabolism. In a study funded by the U.S. Dept of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program, UNMC researchers suggest physicians might be able to predict ovarian cancer in the near future based on measuring this imbalance. Read more here.

Conflicts of BRCA Screening

January 01 | 2014

While most survivors wonder why they developed ovarian cancer, for those who carry the BRCA genetic mutation, it helps to know there is a strong possibility this is the cause. Yet it raises many other questions and concerns for the future generations. Read more about the questions, difficulties, and conflicts in areas such as Israel where the highest populations of these genetic mutations reside.

Drug Quality and Security Act

November 24 | 2013

Congress has approved the Drug Quality and Security Act and it’s now on its way to the White House for signature. The Drug Quality Security Act means safer compounded drugs and greatly diminishes the risk of counterfeit drugs making it into our homes. It establishes a system to track and regulate compounded drugs from manufacturing to distribution. The Alliance has been working on this issue in a coalition led by Pew Charitable Trusts. More information here.

Doxil Shortage, Again

November 18 | 2013

The main supplier of Doxil has decided to close their plant and discontinue production of the drug. Johnson & Johnson, the distributor, said it therefore is likely the Doxil shortage will continue through the end of 2014. Due to FDA approval process, it is doubtful that Johnson & Johnson will have a new supplier before the end of 2014. More information for patients and families can be found here.

Information to help determine new insurance coverage

November 06 | 2013

Enrollment for the Health care Marketplaces opened on October 1st (with coverage starting January 2014). The options for insurance for cancer patients can be overwhelming, so the Alliance created a checklist to help when researching coverage in the marketplaces. The Checklist was created with cancer patients' needs in mind to ensure all bases are covered when comparing health insurance plans.

Spartan’s alum responds to Go Blue by raising funds to fight ovarian cancer

September 19 | 2013

MSU Alumni Association Executive Director, Scott Westerman, issued a challenge to the Spartan faithful after “Go Blue” appeared over their stadium last Saturday. Saying the money spent on that flight could have been put to better use, he challenged Spartan's nationwide to exceed that amount in donations to the MIOCA . Scott's wife, Colleen, is treated at University of Michigan Hospital for ovarian cancer, and he will challenge his counterpart at the UMAA to do the same, "Let's show the world what Leaders, Lifesavers and World Changers do". The response has been tremendous. We are greatly appreciative of Scott & Colleen and everyone that has donated! We will use these funds to further our mission and help save women’s lives. Thank you from the MIOCA Board, volunteers, and all ovarian cancer survivors! , Some of the press: MLive, CBSSports, Detroit Free Press, MLive, ESPN, Fox News, Examiner, Detroit News, WLNS TV, USA TODAY, Huffington Post and more!

Promising New Research Results For Early Detection Screening

August 29 | 2013

MD Anderson Cancer Center published new findings indicating that evaluating the change in CA125 levels over time shows some promise as a screening method for early ovarian cancer. The 11 year long study followed 4,000 low risk women that underwent yearly blood tests for the CA125 cancer marker. Those that showed a sudden increase were referred to a gynecologist and received an ultrasound. The study suggested that the testing strategy had a specificity of 99.9 percent, the researchers said, meaning that only 0.1 percent of patients without cancer would be falsely identified as having the disease. Read more here.

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