Don’t worry, be happy

Quality of Life and Adverse Events: Prognostic Relationships in Long-Term Ovarian Cancer Survival

https://tinyurl.com/95wvjvn4

 

         GOG-218 was a clinical trial overseen by the Gynaecological Oncology Group, looking at the benefit of combined therapy for almost 2000 ovarian cancer patients. Starting in 2005, the median follow up was 102 months.

         As part of the trial the quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Ovarian*, which has a numeric score between 0 (low QOL) and 152 (high QOL). Measurements were taken before treatment, during chemo, and 6 months after chemo.

         This study looks at the long-term survival (LTS) related to the patients QOL, with comparison between the group of long-term survivors (more than 8 years post diagnosis), and those whose survival was short, (less than 5 years).

         Significant difference between the groups is noted with a 9-point increase in QOL, compared with baseline, equating to a 67% improvement in the odds for LTS. It is a small number; overall about 15% of women had LTS, with an increase to about 25% for those who improved QOL

*  https://tinyurl.com/83c5yj4z

 

Pumping iron

The association of resistance training with risk of ovarian cancer

https://tinyurl.com/9vpe4ds5

 

         One of the consequences of the pandemic has been the decrease in the amount of clinical research. Obviously face-to-face communication has been limited. Data already collected from sources such as the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) has been invaluable. This retrospective review of information collected from almost 110,000 participants in the NHS looks at whether resistive training reduces the risk of subsequent ovarian cancer.

         It is known that obesity, and inflammation as measured by serum levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), are associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer. Both of these risk factors are reduced when women engage in resistive training (RT), which includes weight training and the use of gymnasium equipment. Women were assigned to two groups; those who did 60 minutes or more of resistive training each week and those who did not.

         As expected, women who did do RT were less obese and had lower levels of CRP. However, the relative risk of developing ovarian cancer was the same for both groups with no evidence that RT was protective.

Shine a light on cancer

Pafolacianine Sodium Gets Priority Review for Ovarian Cancer Detection During Surgery

https://tinyurl.com/afvz3cu8

 

         The Federal Drug Agency (FDA) has granted priority review status to a new drug; pafolacianine sodium. Priority status is granted to a new treatment, which has the potential to substantially improve the management of a pathological condition.

         This drug is administered to patients immediately prior to surgery. Its effect is to bind to folate receptors commonly present in epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Once attached the presence of the drug is revealed under infrared light with fluorescence.

         Imaging the revealed tumour cells enables more complete clearance of ovarian cancer at initial surgery, which will improve survival. Two Phase II trials have confirmed the efficacy of the drug, which could be a circuit breaker, with quicker and more effective surgery.

Cigarettes and mixed messages

Early life exposure to tobacco smoke and ovarian cancer risk in adulthood

https://tinyurl.com/yuvh7v9x

 

         Once again the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) has provided valuable information about ovarian cancer. The NHS began in 1973 and enlisted more than 120,000 participants who responded to detailed questioning and follow-up to help clarify the epidemiology of many diseases including ovarian cancer. There are now three generations of the NHS with more than 300,000 recruits.

         This report correlates the incidence of ovarian cancer with early exposure to tobacco smoke, long thought to be a risk factor for the disease. Data from 220,000 responses from NHS1 and NHS2 show no increase in relative risk for women whose mother smoked during pregnancy.

         Surprisingly those women who subsequently smoked did not show an increase in risk of developing ovarian cancer and starting early (18 or younger) did not increase the risk. However, exposure to passive smoke as a child, with parents smoking, did increase the overall relative risk to a small degree, with a 15% increase in the incidence of ovarian cancer in adulthood.