Ovary

FDA grants IDE approval for FemBloc nonsurgical permanent birth control https://tinyurl.com/4kmjt2s8 Ovarian cancer mortality and incidence have significantly decreased over the last 20 years. One of the reasons for this is the use of hormonal contraception, meaning fewer lifetime menstrual cycles. Also, resection and ligation of the fallopian tubes as a permanent contraceptive measure has resulted in some protection against ovarian cancer. A new product called FemBloc threatens to disrupt this . Using an innovative outpatient delivery system , a liquid polymer glue is injected into the Fallopian tube causing permanent obstruction , with no ovarian access to the uterine cavity . This device has recently been granted Investigational Device Exemption from the FDA and a phase III clinical trial (FINALE) is currently underway . Preliminary phases of the trial have shown the procedure to be safe with no tubal pregnancy reported. The occlusion of fallopian tubes may be ...

Easy testing for defective DNA repair Olaparib, durvalumab, and cyclophosphamide, and a prognostic blood signature in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer: the randomized phase 2 SOLACE2 trial https://tinyurl.com/dmncvndv Defective DNA repair causes about half of all ovarian cancer. For those women wh o develop this cancer , and are shown to have the defect , treatment with PARP inhibitors ( PARPi ) will extend progress-free survival (PFS). Identifying these women is costly and unreliable. A new finding obtained from an otherwise inconclusive clinical trial may lead to a che a per and dependable test. The Solace 2 trial sought over a 4-year period to prove that stimulating a n immune response before star t ing conventional therapy would improve PFS for women with advanced high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) . It is well known that HGSOC depresses immunity , and this accounts for the usual bad outcomes. The trial did not achieve the key indicator, which was 36-week PFS ...

Australian ovarian cancer breakthrough enters human trials https://tinyurl.com/ye245f8f Medicine is full of new words or neologisms. Mostly thes e are produced by PR agencies looking for a memorable brand name for a new drug. Sometimes the new name marks a dramatic shift in medical care. One such is theranostic s a complex noun first used in 1997 to name a marriage of therapy and diagnosis. Theranostics are combinations of antibodies and radiopha rmaceuticals currently being used in the treatment o f prostate cancer and carcinoid. The radi o pharmace utical of choice is lutetium-177 which is a n isotope with a short half-life and an intense Beta emitter. Beta radiation is of high energy with low penetration and highly toxic, Standard systemic brachytherapy with Beta emitters is likely to kill the patient before killing the cancer . The antibody combination targets the radiation to the cancer cell meaning only a low non-fatal dose is required . The antibody is produced ...

Molecular subtypes of human skeletal muscle in cancer cachexia https://tinyurl.com/3y3dun9v Cachexia i s a grave indicator of near death for women with ovarian cancer . It is defined as a weight loss of more than 10% or a BMI of less than 20 in patients with ovarian cancer. Why some patients become cachexic has been a mystery, the weight loss is predominately due to decrease of muscle bulk with associated weakness and impaired mobility . This prospective study involved next-generation genetic sequencing , using muscle biopsy tissue , obtained from 84 patients with cancer, at the time of their ini tial su rgery . The whole muscle RNA signature (RNA ome) s howed t wo distinct subtypes. Only subty pe I patients progressed to cachexia with an inflammatory reaction causing muscle wasting. This breakthrough in und erstanding suggests it may be possible to predict cachexia and employ treatment to prevent it. Also, the differen ce in the RNAome between the two groups may suggest ...