The Importance of Seeing an Ovarian Cancer Specialist

Renee Cowan, gynecologic oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), discusses the importance of patients with ovarian cancer seeing an oncologist who specializes in the field.

Previous studies have shown that black women have worse ovarian cancer outcomes than white women. Further, they were less likely to be treated a a high-volume cancer center that may offer specialists for individual cancer types.

When conducted a retrospective analysis of nearly 1,000 women who were treated for ovarian cancer at MSK, she found no difference in outcomes from one race to another. This reinforced her notion that it is crucial for patients with ovarian cancer to see a gynecologic oncologist who treats at least 20 patients a year for ovarian cancer.