Latest Conference Articles

CURE sat down with Richard Boulay, M.D., at the 2018 National Ovarian Cancer Coalition to discuss exciting updates in ovarian cancer, as well as what advice he would offer to patients and caregivers who may be feeling overwhelmed.

Jaron Mark, M.D., a gynecologic oncology fellow at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the opioid crisis, and the steps that his institution is taking to combat potential addiction in women who undergo surgery for gynecologic cancer.

PARP inhibitors are generating a lot of excitement in the field of ovarian cancer. But how, exactly, do they work? CURE spoke with one expert to find out.

Knowing which kind of therapy works best can help in determining the ideal cancer care for patients.

“There has been a rapid expansion in the use of checkpoint inhibition in many solid tumor types,” lead author Emily Hinchcliff, M.D.

At the inaugural Ovarian Cancer Heroes gala, held in New Orleans ahead of the 49th Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancers, four individuals — a physician, nurse navigator and two patient-turned-advocates — were awarded for the contributions they have made to increase awareness and advance research and education for ovarian cancer.

Losing even a moderate amount of extra weight significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal women, a researcher reports.

The incidence of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC) is on the rise. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University assessed survey data to determine whether the risk among the general population is rising as well. Results show that for most people, the risk remains low.

Talazoparib, a PARP inhibitor is more effective than chemotherapy in reducing the risk of disease progression and death from BRCA-positive breast cancer.

A phase 3 clinical trial pitted a nine-week treatment of adjuvant Herceptin against the regimen of a full year of treatment for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Results show that the standard treatment of one year is still optimal.

To address compliance issues associated with treatment using aromatase inhibitors, researchers show that acupuncture effectively eases joint pain, a side effect from hormone therapy.

A reveiw of five clinical trial findings suggests that gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog has the potential to preserve ovarian function and fertility in premenopausal breast cancer patients.

New research demonstrates that a CDK4/6 inhibitor, used in combination with standard endocrine therapy with temporary ovarian suppression significantly improves progression-free survival in younger patients who currently have few treatment options.

The combination of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab) showed promise for the treatment of women with Herceptin-resistant, PD-L1–positive, HER2-positive breast cancer.

A stud presented at SABCS shows that IMMU-132, an antibody-drug conjugate, improves outcomes in women with heavily pretreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

The combination use of Herceptin plus standard adjuvant chemotherapy does not improve outcomes in women with HER2-low breast cancer.

For women with early-stage breast cancer who are receiving chemotherapy, shortening the time between treatment cycles or administering the agents sequentially may reduce disease recurrence and mortality compared with standard chemotherapy regimens.

Research into combination approaches now focuses on using three anti–PD-1 therapies and new checkpoints, such as IDO.

The combination of the immunotherapies Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) sparked a response in nearly half of asymptomatic patients with melanoma brain metastases who had not received prior local therapy to the brain.

The longest response rate lasted six months.

Although chemotherapy has been used to treat patients with Merkel cell carcinoma, immunotherapy agents show great promise, according to findings presented at the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma.

Maria T. Landi, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) discusses a recent study that identified genetic variations that may be linked with increased melanoma risk.

Intralesional therapies – those delivered directly to the tumor site – used in conjunction with checkpoint inhibitors have shown improvements to the treatment of people with melanoma, says Robert Andtbacka, M.D., in a presentation at the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma.

Many patients with cancer don't hesitate when discussing side effects like fatigue, nausea and neuropathy with their health care provider; however, there is often silence when it boils down to the sexual side effects of their treatment.

The treatment landscape of ovarian cancer continues to change with the recent approvals of new agents.

Audra Moran, CEO & President of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance discusses the Ovarian Cancer National Conference.

David Gershenson, M.D., of MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains the difficulty of advancing treatment of rare ovarian cancers: malignant ovarian germ cell tumors, sex cord stromal tumors, and types of epithelial tumors such as ovarian clear cell carcinoma, ovarian low-grade serous carcinoma, and mucinous tumors.

For women with ovarian cancer, the message is clear: participating in clinical trials, even early-phase ones, offers the best hope for better treatments, but efforts are urgently needed at every level to ensure that more of these research opportunities are available.