Multimarker assay for ovarian cancer most promising to dateApril 03, 2006The search for a specific protein that could help diagnose ovarian cancer in its early stages has for years eluded researchers who are seeking a reliable and accurate test for the disease. Instead of searching for a single protein, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine used a new technology to analyze a large number of proteins, or potential biomarkers, from a very small sample of serum from women with ovarian cancer. They identified a combination of several biomarkers that could help detect the disease much earlier than it is currently being diagnosed, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 1 to 5 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. "One of the most challenging problems with ovarian cancer is that we lack a reliable and accurate test that can detect it early when it is most responsive to treatment," said Anna E. Lokshin, Ph.D., lead investigator and assistant professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "By the time women are diagnosed, their cancers have already spread and are extremely difficult to treat successfully. To improve the long-term outcome for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, we sought to identify a panel of proteins that could signify the presence of early disease." In the study, Pitt researchers took advantage of a novel technology called LapMAP that is able to analyze multiple proteins in a single drop of blood or serum. They tested 450 serum samples for 46 biomarkers that had previously been correlated with ovarian cancer and were able to identify a multi-marker panel, comprised of 20 proteins that correctly recognized more than 98 percent of serum samples from women with ovarian cancer, offering higher diagnostic power than any other published assay for ovarian cancer. "Through further examination, our goal is to develop this screening assay into a diagnostic test to improve the early detection of ovarian cancer and to monitor therapeutic response and recurrence in women with the disease," said Dr. Lokshin. Ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in 22,000 women in the U.S. this year alone. Despite aggressive surgery and chemotherapy approaches, the prognosis for ovarian cancer has been poor since the majority of women have advanced disease at the time it is detected - most women have a life expectancy of only three to four years after their diagnoses. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center |
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| Related Ovarian Cancer Current Events and Ovarian Cancer News Articles FDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found. American Dietetic Association Releases Updated Position Paper Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on breastfeeding that details health benefits for both infants and mothers and encourages promotion of breastfeeding whenever possible. Metals could forge new cancer drug Drugs made using unusual metals could form an effective treatment against colon and ovarian cancer, including cancerous cells that have developed immunity to other drugs, according to research at the University of Warwick and the University of Leeds. Breast cancer patients with high risk gene diagnosed 6 years earlier than generation before Women with a deleterious gene mutation are diagnosed with breast cancer six years earlier than relatives of the previous generation who also had the disease and/or ovarian cancer, according to new research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Cancer Predisposition From Gene Variant Shows Strong Gender Bias Cancer predisposition resulting from the presence of a specific gene variant shows a strong gender bias, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have demonstrated. Medications Effective in Reducing Risks for Breast Cancer Can Also Cause Serious Side Effects Three drugs that reduce a woman's chance of getting breast cancer also have been shown to cause adverse effects, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Scientists from University of Hawaii at Manoa find genetic marker A new genetic marker associated with ovarian cancer risk was recently discovered by an international research group, led by scientists from the Cancer Research Genetic Epidemiology Unit in the United Kingdom. New treatment in sight for ovarian cancer In the future, women with metastatic ovarian cancer could be treated with a radioactive substance that can seek and destroy tumour cells. Young early stage ovarian cancer patients can preserve fertility A new study finds that young women with early-stage ovarian cancer can preserve future fertility by keeping at least one ovary or the uterus without increasing the risk of dying from the disease. Estrogen-Dependent Switch Tempers Killing Activity of Immune Cells The sex hormone estrogen tempers the killing activity of a specific group of immune cells, the cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), which are known to attack tumor cells and cells infected by viruses. More Ovarian Cancer Current Events and Ovarian Cancer News Articles |
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