Elizabeth Poole, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
2015 Skacel Family Scholar
Medication use and ovarian cancer survival
Although factors that contribute to ovarian cancer risk prior to diagnosis are currently being teased apart, factors which contribute to survival after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer have not yet been well studied. Dr. Poole’s project will develop the Nurses’ Health Study (two large prospective studies with over 30 years of follow up) to study factors that contribute to ovarian cancer survival including use of anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and anti-stress medications (e.g. anti-depressants, beta blockers, anti-anxiety medications). Importantly, Dr. Poole has access to and will analyze information from women both before and after diagnosis, making this a unique project for identifying changes that women can make to their lifestyle to improve their survival.