CLEVELAND, Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Every woman has a one in 87 chance of getting ovarian cancer in her lifetime, and one in 130 will die from it. The symptoms of ovarian cancer — nausea, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and discomfort, are often misdiagnosed as a UTI, issues with the gallbladder, or even menopause. And, those symptoms don’t typically arise until the cancer is advanced. But now Cleveland Clinic has new ways to treat and detect ovarian cancer before it’s too late.
“Ultimately it’s a very rare disease but if we don’t look we’re not going to identify it,” Robert DeBernardo, MD, Section Head for Gynecologic Oncology, the Laura J Fogarty Endowed Chair in Uterine Cancer Research, and the Director of the Peritoneal Malignancy Program for Cleveland Clinic told Ivanhoe.
That rare disease is ovarian cancer, which causes more deaths than all other female reproduction system cancers. It’s difficult to diagnose in early stages because there is no screening test. But, Dr. DeBernardo is trying to change that.
“The concept I think we’re working on is a molecular pap smear quote en quote, where we’re looking at markers in the bloodstream to try to predict as this cancer starts,” he explained.
The goal is to develop a blood test that finds markers of ovarian cancer. Dr. DeBernardo and his team are also part of the first international trial of its kind — using CAR T-cell therapy for treatment.
“We’re taking your immune cells that would identify a cancer, taking them out, teaching them essentially about your cancer. Theoretically if it works it’s a home run because we’re not giving chemo we’re just teaching your body what’s bad and getting rid of it,” he said.
For those with recurrent ovarian cancer, there is now a chemo that’s targeted, attacking specifically the cancer cells instead of the whole body. Then when it comes time for surgery, the cancer lights up.
“This may allow us to remove even stuff the surgeon can’t see with the naked eye,” Dr. DeBenardo explained.
Dr. DeBernardo recommends that after three weeks of symptoms and no answers, go see a nurse practitioner or physician and be stubborn until you get a diagnosis.
Contributors to this news report include: Marcy Wilder, Assistant Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/ovarian-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
https://www.cdc.gov/ovarian-cancer/statistics/index.html
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
| Robert DeBernardo, MD
Section Head for G1 Oncology at Cleveland Clinic |
Beth Hertz
Senior Manager of Corporate Communications for Cleveland Clinic |
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