Aspirin and cancer survival: a systematic review and meta-analyses of 118 observational studies of aspirin and 18 cancers https://tinyurl.com/7esethau            For some time now the protective nature of low dose aspirin in the prevention of solid cancers such as Colon cancer has been well established. It is now apparent that treatment with aspirin, together with standard therapy for established cancers has survival benefits.          Major clinical trials are currently underway recruiting patients with Colon, Breast and Prostate cancer. Previous studies with various solid cancers have shown survival benefits of up to 20%. This meta-analysis looked at all available information with data collected from patients with cancer, some with ovarian cancer. The results suggest that aspirin is protective for all cancers.          A concern with aspirin is th...

  Association of Salpingectomy With Delayed Oophorectomy Versus Salpingo-oophorectomy With Quality of Life in BRCA1/2 Pathogenic Variant Carriers https://tinyurl.com/pt9w845h          For young women who carry the BRCA1/2 gene mutation, there is often a difficult decision to be made as to whether to have risk reduction surgery, to help prevent subsequent ovarian cancer.  Surgery for these women usually involves removal of the fallopian tubes with or without ovary removal. Sometimes removal of the ovaries is delayed either until childbearing is complete or until the normal age for menopause.                This prospective trial with 577 recruits randomly assigned women aged 25 to 40 with BRCA1/2 mutations into two groups; those who had simple tubal removal or those who had removal of both tubes and ovaries.        ...

Association of patient-reported outcomes and ovarian cancer recurrence https://tinyurl.com/5edcadrs          A common misconception of cancer care is that negative thoughts result in negative outcomes. In this prospective study women with ovarian cancer were assessed regularly during the disease to test the concept.              196 women with ovarian cancer were recruited following initial treatment. Patient reported outcomes with respect to physical and psychological deterioration were recorded at 3-month intervals for 15 months. The study was terminated after 3 years.          About 50% of the women had a recurrence, with a mean progression free survival of 10 months. All women prior to recurrence reported deterioration of wellbeing. However, the results show patient reported outcomes information did not help in the diagnosis of wh...

Total parietal peritonectomy in primary debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer https://tinyurl.com/4bvbc5m5            With any new treatment course a period of evaluation is appropriate after the initial enthusiasm. It is well known that women who have complete resection of ovarian cancer and any distant metastasis have better outcomes. Often distant metastatic deposits are microscopic, it has been reported that frequently microscopic deposits of ovarian cancer have been demonstrated in seemingly normal peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal wall).          To address this a surgical procedure (total parietal peritonectomy) has been promoted. This review is of 16 patients who underwent this major surgery and looks at the risk-benefit ratio.          The subjects all had advanced ovarian cancer (stage III/IV). There was a high incidence...

Risk of de novo severe carpal tunnel syndrome after bilateral oophorectomy https://tinyurl.com/rbh4ds2n                No medical treatment is without consequence. Many women have ovaries removed for non malignant conditions. Sometimes those with a genetic predisposition to have ovarian cancer are being offered preventative surgery with removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries.           It has already been shown that premature menopause due to ovary removal increases the risk of subsequent heart attack, osteoporosis, dementia and mental illness.T his study adds the increased risk of severe carpal tunnel syndrome, caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist, with pain and loss of function. It is not known why this occurs but the authors speculate a hormonal effect.        For most women with ovarian cancer ovarian removal is inevitable. Info...

Venous thromboembolism in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer and impact on survival https://tinyurl.com/3naxu328            Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is a common side effect of medical treatment and may be fatal due to pulmonary embolism. Many women who undertake therapy for ovarian cancer will have DVT.          This retrospective survey looked at the incidence of DVT for women who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery, for ovarian cancer. 286 women were included in the study from Canada. Overall survival was recorded and compared with those patients who did not have DVT.          During the neoadjuvant chemo almost 14% of these women had DVT. They had worse outcomes, with the mean overall survival being reduced by 45% to 15 months. It is noted that patients who had DVT often had lower serum albu...

Evaluating the role of alcohol consumption in breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility using population-based cohort studies and two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses https://tinyurl.com/j828m3h8            Data previously obtained from the UK Biobank has shown an association with the consumption of alcohol and a increase in the risk of developing breast cancer, with a less clearly demonstrated possibility of increased risk of ovarian cancer also.                  This retrospective study looked at 69000 women from the Copenhagen general population study, all of who consumed more than 10g of alcohol (about one standard drink) daily. Of these women more than 400 subsequently had ovarian cancer and about 4,000, breast cancer.               Hazard ratios for both cancers were obtain...