Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia in Ovarian Cancer: Incidence, Mechanisms, and Impact Across Treatment Regimens https://tinyurl.com/5n8wuaje Hair loss caused by chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is common and has a major e ffect on quality of life and loss of self-respect. Standard treatment of ovarian cancer includes  surgery and chemotherapy sometimes administered before and after surgery. Two drugs are usually  part of the chemo; cytotoxics and growth inhibitors . When the growth inhibitor  Paclitaxel  is  used hair loss occurs for all patients with complete baldness  (alopecia) , usually reversible ,  for about 65% . Despite being so frequent there is little understanding about  hair loss. Chemotherapy unfortunately is non-selective with side effects caused by da mage to normal cell division. This is greatest for structures which have rapid cell turnover, notably  hair, gut and nerves. Cell death occurs and hair breaks with sometimes  alo...

Metabolism of Primary High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma (HGSOC) Cells under Limited Glutamine or Glucose Availability https://tinyurl.com/2bxh2b4c As understanding of ovarian cancer increases  previous  suggestions as to cause and effect are often  disproved   and need to be disregarded. It is known that there are two groups of high grade serous  ovarian, (HGSOC)  cancer pa tients, one of which survive better .  Formerly  there was a theory that this division is due to  difference  in glucose metab olism . Two main  pathways of glucose metabolism occur; glycolysis, which does not need  oxygen and phosphorylation which does. It had been  tho u g ht  that  c h e m o   r e s p o n s e   w a s   b e t t e r  f o r   c e l l s   w hich use the second pathway as a priority. This basic research using cancer cells from  45 patients with HGSOC showed no correlation between survival and...

Promising New Drugs and Therapeutic Approaches for Treatment of Ovarian Cancer—Targeting the Hallmarks of Cancer  https://tinyurl.com/bdzu8nr5  As we begin a new year, it's an opportune time to examine both current advances in ovarian cancer treatment and potential breakthroughs on the horizon.  Recent progress in ovarian cancer treatment has been marked by the advent of personalised medicine, which targets specific genetic and molecular variations in individual patients. This approach has led to improved survival rates through the introduction of novel therapeutics, particularly PARP and angiogenesis inhibitors.  Innovative drug delivery mechanisms are revolutionizing treatment, most notably through antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The latest example is MIRV (mirvetuximab soravtansine), which has shown promise in treating recurrent ovarian cancer.  This article examines ongoing phase III clinical trials and evaluates their potential impact on patient care. Immu...

New tool puts reproductive risk for BRCA carriers into perspective https://tinyurl.com/24hrpkzp Ever since the 1960s ,  the familial risk of breast and ovarian cancer has been recognised as the heredi tary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC). The genetic mutations responsible were shown to be located on chromosomes 17 and 13  and labelled BRCA1 and 2. Thes e  mutations are dominant, meaning only one copy of the gene needs to be affected. More recently the effect of both genes be aring the mutation causing childhood disease and  early onset cancers is becoming clearer. Many women  carrying  one of the BRCA m utations are unaware of this additional risk. What this means is that if both a child’s mother and father carry   a BRCA mutation, that child has a 75% risk of  both  genes  being affected and a 100% risk of being a carrier . The major risk to the child with dual BRCA mutation is a  bone marrow disorder, Fanconi’s Anaemia. ...

Integrative multi-omics analysis uncovers  tumour -immune-gut axis influencing immunotherapy outcomes in ovarian cancer https://tinyurl.com/3h5wuk33 About 50% of all ovarian cancer has an increased T cell infiltration  suggesting a strong immune response. This is associated with good survival. Targeted immune therapy which inhibits checkpoint activity  unfortunately thus far has not been shown to be effective against ovarian cancer.  This study looked at the impact of the faecal microbiome on  immune checkpoint blockade  (ICB) . Using data from another study ,  which tested the effect of  ICB for recurrent ovarian cancer,  a subgroup of patients showed a significant benefit (30%). T hese patients had a different  microbiome when compared to those patients who did not have much benefit. This information suggests that manipulation of the gut biome could be an  aid to survival for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Alcohol Consumption and Breast and Ovarian Cancer Development: Molecular Pathways and Mechanisms https://tinyurl.com/39h72xhz A link between alcohol consumption and increased risk of breast cancer is well known. It now is becoming clear that a similar association with  ovarian cancer exists albeit less clear cut. Alcohol abuse is common , it is estimated that alcohol is the cause of 5% of a ll deaths. The exact mechanism of increased cancer risk remains uncertain. Recent understanding suggest s  that   in the case of ovarian cancer three important mechanisms are responsible. These are ; hormonal modulation,  DNA damage , and cellular  oxidation . Alcohol is metabolised in the liver ,   w ith acetaldehyde as an in termediate product. Both these substances can damage DNA and disrupt r epair. The presence of alcohol in the body causes oxidative  stress, with an imbalance of free ra dicals and antioxidants . In good health free radicals ,  which are o...

The prognostic influence of hospital type, method of first histological confirmation and time to chemotherapy in patients with advanced primary ovarian cancer https://tinyurl.com/cburpu7d There is a constant effort to improve the management of ovarian cancer.  It is clear that the  best chance of complete cure is at the time of the  initia l  surgery. If the cancer can be completely cleared ,  survival is more likely. Towards this end a proposed change in management has been developed,  w it h a two-stage process ,  whereby   an  initia l  limited procedure is performed ,  to obtain a tissue biopsy ,  prior to complete clearance. This review of 115 women with ovarian cancer ,  looks at whether there is any difference in outcome when the two- stage process is used. Also, the hospit al type where the first procedure  occurred  may be significant ,  in that complete surgery at a centre  of excellence has b...