Elizabeth Swisher, MDUniversity of WashingtonSeattle, WA Optimizing genetic testing uptake and outcomes for hereditary ovarian cancer risk As genetic testing for cancer risk becomes increasingly accessible, the goal of eradicating hereditary ovarian cancer through comprehensive genetic testing and effective prevention is tantalizingly close. However, several large studies have revealed that a large minority of people […]
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Melissa Thrall, MDUniversity of Washington A population based evaluation of the use and outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy The current standard of care for the treatment of advanced stage ovarian cancer involves surgery with a maximal effort to remove all visible tumor followed by the administration of platinum based chemotherapy. However not all women with advanced […]
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John Liao, MD, PhDUniversity of Washington2011 Gilman Family Scholar Development of a Polyepitope DNA Vaccine for Ovarian Cancer Immunotherapy While ovarian cancer patients can respond to chemotherapy and achieve remission, the majority of advanced stage patients succumb to recurrent disease. Strategies harnessing the immune system have the potential to augment available therapies, prolong remissions, and […]
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Barbara Norquist, MDUniversity of Washington2013 Skacel Family Scholar Genes Contributing to Hereditary Ovarian Cancer in BRCA1/2 Wildtype Families Nearly a quarter of ovarian cancer cases may be caused by inherited mutations, with a significant portion caused by mutations in genes other than BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2). Next generation sequencing techniques have made it possible to […]
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Bo Yu, MDUniversity of Washington2017 Cookie Laughlin Bridge Funding Award The role of fallopian tube microbiome in ovarian carcinogenesis Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer in the United States. The high mortality rate is due to a lack of understanding of the origin and development of this disease, which makes both early detection […]
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Rosana Risques, PhDUniversity of Washington Development of a multi-gene uterine lavage test for ovarian cancer detection Ovarian cancer is deadly because it is usually detected at advanced stage. Survival for advance stage ovarian cancer is only 25%, compared to 90% for early stage cancer, which indicates that ovarian cancer can be cured if detected early. […]
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Ingegerd Hellstrom, MD, PhDUniversity of Washington Silencing TGFbeta to increase the immunogenicity of ovarian carcinoma cells This study aims to improve a woman’s prognosis by adding a therapeutic vaccination to encourage the body to mount an anti-tumor response using the secreted growth regulatory protein TGFβ (transforming growth factor). Dr. Hellstrom has shown that a mouse […]
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Elizabeth Swisher, MDUniversity of Washington Falloposcopy: A Novel Approach to Ovarian Cancer Detection and Prevention Recent data suggest that many presumed ovarian or peritoneal carcinomas may actually arise in the fallopian tubes (FT). If true, early detection of ovarian carcinoma should focus on viewing and sampling the FT. A new technology has been developed at […]
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Lupe Salazar, MDUniversity of Washington Adoptive Transfer of Tumor Specific Th1 Cells Derived from Vaccine-Primed Patients Achieved Clinical Benefits Adoptive immunotherapy can induce cancer regression but rarely results in cure. We have infused HER2-specific Th1 cells in breast cancer patients, and 50% of patients had a partial or complete response to the treatment. Dr. Salazar […]
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Heidi Gray, MDUniversity of Washington Behavioral and neural indices of cognitive rehabilitation in ovarian cancer Millions of ovarian cancer survivors live with residual symptoms of impaired thinking and impaired memory severe enough to interfere with basic activities of daily living and work. However, very little is known about how to treat problems in cognition. Pharmacologic […]
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