Where Leading-Edge Research,
Diagnosis & Treatment Converge
Penn's Center for Research on Early Detection & Cure of Ovarian Cancer spearheads clinical advancements for patients.
July/August 2007
“In the majority of cases, when
ovarian cancer is diagnosed, the disease
has already spread outside of the ovaries
and into the pelvis. The outcome at this
stage is often dismal at best,” says George
Coukos, MD, PhD, Penn's director of
gynecologic malignancy research.
To improve detection and, thus,
hopefully improve survival, Penn's
Center for Research on Early Detection & Cure
of Ovarian Cancer is solely dedicated to
ovarian cancer research – and is one of a
very limited number of centers to focus
specifically on this disease. “If we can
improve the diagnosis stage, patient
survival increases to 80 or 90 percent,”
says Dr. Coukos. “Without it, late-stage
survival is about 30 percent and often
with a life expectancy of less than
five years.”
Advancing Early Detection & Prevention
Early detection and prevention is
one area of emphasis in Penn's multi-disciplinary approach
to improving the odds for ovarian
cancer patients. In
particular, Dr. Coukos's lab is focusing on tumor vasculature. Penn's physician scientists
recently discovered the unique
molecular make-up of vascular cells
in ovarian cancer. They are currently
working to develop and validate
antibodies against these new tumor
vascular markers, which could then be
used in advanced imaging techniques.
“Molecular imaging will be an
important area for the future as we
begin to learn more about the molecules
specifically expressed by ovarian
cancer,” says Dr. Coukos. “The closest
thing we have to this today is positron
emission tomography (PET) but it
is not very specific. We think we can
develop a test that is much more
specific to ovarian cancer.”
The Next Generation of Therapeutics
For those patients who undergo
chemotherapy as part of treatment, the
majority eventually become resistant
to all available chemotherapies, even
if they are initially successful. For
this reason, the center's physician
scientists are also researching the
development of new, more effective
chemotherapeutics.
“We're exploring chemotherapeutic
drugs as well as immunologic therapies,”
says Stephen Rubin, MD, chief of
gynecologic
oncology. “We believe it
will be a combination of these agents
that will likely lead to an improved
outcome.”
“Even for those patients in whom
we cannot improve survival,” adds
Deborah Driscoll, MD, chair of the
department of obstetrics and gynecology,
“we may be able to improve quality of
life. For many patients, the side effects
of chemotherapy are bothersome. By
looking at complementary therapies,
we hope to offer a chemotherapy
regimen that is more effective and less
toxic to the patient, resulting in the
fewest side effects.”
Access to Leading-Edge Care
“The interaction the center
provides, between researchers and
clinicians, allows us to bring advances
from the lab into clinical use in the
most expeditious way possible,” says
Dr. Rubin. “This is a huge advantage
for the patient.”
In fact, Penn has more fulltime
board-certified gynecologic
oncologists than any other hospital in
the Philadelphia region and offers the
only advanced training program for
this specialized field. These factors,
combined with access to clinical
trials, leading research, and the latest
treatments, provides primary care
physicians and their patients with a
valuable resource. “Ovarian cancer is
a difficult disease to diagnose and
treat,” says Dr. Driscoll. “Patients
may be interested in the clinical trials
if not for themselves, then for the
information they'd be providing to
help the next generation.”
For referring and primary care
physicians, Dr. Coukos suggests
ordering imaging as soon as the
disease is suspected. “Early detection is
critical in order to make a difference,”
says Dr. Coukos. “The symptoms
of ovarian cancer tend to be nonspecific.
If they persist or if you have
the slightest suspicion of ovarian
cancer, I'd recommend some initial
imaging. A comprehensive center
like ours can help during these very
important, early stages. If patients do
have ovarian cancer, we offer the
most innovative therapy there is.”
For more information about
Penn's
Center for Research on Early Detection & Cure of Ovarian
Cancer, call PENNHealth, Penn's
physician referral line,
at 1-800-789-PENN (7366).
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