Dubbed one of the notorious ‘silent killers’, ovarian cancer claims the lives of approximately 14,000 American women each year. Tragically, all women are at risk and early detection and sustainable treatment have proved to be difficult. However, a recent study provides new hope in the realm of ovarian cancer treatment. Women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are commonly prescribed two chemotherapy drugs: paclitaxel and carboplatin. When a patient’s body resists these drugs, she is left with few options for continued ovarian cancer treatment. For those who do not experience initial resistance, the looming threat of recurrence suggests future difficulties. Thankfully, the ominous outlook for ovarian cancer treatment is looking brighter thanks to physician-scientist Robert C Bast, Jr, MD., and his past support from the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR).  Acknowledging early funding from the NFCR, Dr. Bast has recently published his research results that provide substantial hope for women undergoing ovarian cancer treatment. In this study Dr. Bast explains that while carboplatin and paclitaxel can be a strong first-line treatment for ovarian cancer, the drugs are curing less than 20% of advanced stage ovarian cancer. However, a small molecule inhibitor can improve the response to paclitaxel in ovarian cancer cells and complex models during the pre-clinical research and the combined treatment is being used now in a Phase I trial for ovarian cancer. In the current paper, the research team discovered that the inhibitor increased carboplatin’s ability to induce DNA-damage and apoptosis (cell suicide), simply meaning the drug’s ability to kill cancerous cells improved. Dr. Bast continues to explain that discovering the impact of the molecular inhibitor on carboplatin provides an exciting outlook for upcoming clinical trials for ovarian cancer treatment. If the ongoing Phase I trial treating ovarian cancer patients with the combination of paclitaxel and the inhibitor goes well, a Phase I/II trial may be initiated using the molecule inhibitor and carboplatin. This exciting discovery suggests that women undergoing ovarian cancer treatment may have a more promising outlook, especially those who experience resistance to carboplatin and paclitaxel or have a recurrence of ovarian cancer. NFCR continues to support world leaders in ovarian cancer research. Amongst these current and past funded scientists are Dr. Danny Welch, Dr. Wei Zhang, Dr. Susan Horwitz, Dr. Amos B. Smith III, and Dr. Harold F. Dvorak. Each dedicated NFCR-funded researcher is committed to game-changing discoveries in cancer treatments, detection, and ultimately, a cure. Visit National Foundation for Cancer Research to learn how you can play a role in supporting world leaders in cancer research. Additional Reads You May Enjoy: Genetic Cues to Ovarian Cancer Explored The Development of Better Ovarian Cancer Biomarkers 5 Warning Signs Women Shouldn’t Ignore Stay connected with us! Receive our monthly e-newsletter and blogs featuring stories of inspiration, support resources, cancer prevention tips and more. Sign up here. 

Maria Gonzales was no stranger to cancer by the time she was diagnosed in 2008. She had watched the disease affect many of her family members, from her mother and her grandmothers to her aunts and cousins. Despite seeing her loved ones battle cancer in various forms, her diagnosis came as an absolute surprise. “When the doctors said that I had cancer, I thought they were wrong – I was too young,” Maria said. A few months before her diagnosis, Maria was packing up her classroom from one school and settling into a new one. She eagerly welcomed this exciting change to her career, but the young teacher was experiencing a bit of stress and anxiety related to the move. Amidst her move, Maria began feeling extremely fatigued as well as noticing a reoccurring stint of lower back pain. “I attributed the fatigue and lower back pain to moving schools,” Maria began. “I was packing and moving boxes and feeling very stressed. I also had irregular periods and pain in the pelvic area. Then I became so bloated it looked like I was pregnant.” Realizing that something may not be right in her body, Maria met with a doctor. She went through many blood tests in search of an answer, but the tests were not revealing anything helpful. Finally, she was scheduled for a CT scan. The CT scan showed that Maria had a large mass from her ovaries to her spleen, thus spearheading her journey with cancer. “I had to have emergency surgery, which determined I had stage 3C ovarian cancer,” Maria shared. “I then had to have chemotherapy and I had anaphylactic shock from the first drug.” After changing medications, Maria continued receiving chemotherapy for approximately six months. During her treatment, Maria experienced a range of uncomfortable side effects, including the infamous nausea and vomiting. Though she expected side effects all along, Maria was quite surprised by the nature of the effects she experienced. “People think that every cancer patient looks the same, but we don’t,” Maria said. “I never lost my hair. I never expected to experience anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, fatigue or chemo brain. Cancer doesn’t have a face; it can happen to anyone and not everyone reacts the same way.” Once Maria finished her chemotherapy, she was declared NED – no evidence of disease. The excitement of this news was short-lived, as she soon learned that ovarian cancer was a chronic disease. Maria went on to have five reoccurrences. She continues maintenance treatment every four weeks and visits her doctor every eight weeks.  “Just because the treatment is over doesn’t mean the journey with cancer is over,” Maria reflected.  “The battle might not be physical, but it becomes mental.” Though every step of her journey with cancer sparked new and often unexpected challenges, Maria continuously adjusted to new ways of coping. For Maria, faith, hope, prayer, and the support of her loved ones got her through even the darkest moment. She learned to accept asking for help but, more importantly, she learned that her friends and family were always willing to provide that help. “It’s really important […]