Is There Ever Enough Ovarian Cancer Research?
Recently, there has been much progress made in research of gynecological cancers. Many report that this period has been exceptionally productive in the field. However, despite how positive this is, many with gynecological cancers are upset that clinical trials are becoming decreasingly available, as they can be extremely influential to those suffering.
Research of gynecological cancers
For the last half century, researchers have faced hurdles in understanding cervical, endometrial, ovarian, and vulvar cancers due to their massive intricacies. But the progress that has made it through is capable of making massive impacts in prolonging women's lives. For example, the PARP inhibitor, new forms of chemotherapy, and specifically targeted drugs are significantly lengthening survival rates, whereas none of that technology existed to the extent it does today 50 years ago. What binds these treatments together? They all came about due to clinical trials, which is why many are upset that the number of clinical trials are plummeting, even though other research is increasing. Strangely, in other cancers, there is a surplus of clinical drug trials to the extent that there are not enough patients to partake in them.
In gynecological cancers, medical scientists are devoting their time to understanding what it is exactly that causes gynecological tumor growth. While this is important, it is clinical trials that would be able to transform that objective knowledge into a plan on how to overcome the problems.
The Society of Gynecologic Oncology has stated that enrollment in phase 3 National Cancer Institute clinical trials that are specifically meant for gynecologic cancers has decreased 90 percent in only five years, from 2011 to 2016. Dr. John Morony from the University of Chicago, Dr. David Gershenson from MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Alan D'Andrea from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Carol L. Brown from Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Dr. Daniela Matei from Northwestern University all stated how enormously worrying this decline is at the Ovarian Cancer National Conference in Chicago this past July.
What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are studies that use biomedical research where the safety and effectiveness of novel diagnostic tests, methods, and treatments are tests by analyzing the impact they have in a preselected group of patients who will follow predefined guidelines and procedures. Clinical trials are able to illuminate ways to diagnose, treat, screen, and prevent cancer that were often never tested or even thought of previously.
Every single drug currently in use to treat ovarian cancer patients is now available due to having been through a clinical trial. Therefore, cutting clinical trials may essentially pause any progress in the field of ovarian cancer research.
Why the decrease in clinical trial participation?
So, if clinical trials can be so important and effective, it is only natural to wonder why they are dropping. Surely, doctors, scientists, and researchers must realize how important they are. The reason, they explained at the Ovarian Cancer National Conference, is most likely that during 2012, there was a restructuring of cooperative groups that were sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. As a result, gynecological, surgical, and radiation therapy were all lumped together where they had previously been their own entities. There were also massive budget cuts by the National Institutes of Health, which again could contribute to the drop in clinical trials.
Thousands across the nation who benefit from clinical trials were devastated by this news, and see it as nothing short of a crisis.
Why is ovarian cancer research important?
Ovarian cancer is the single deadliest cancer for women, and unfortunately 200,000 women in the United States are living with it today. It is the number one cause of gynecologic cancer deaths and the eleventh most common cancer in women. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. Why? Likely because there is no early detection test, meaning that it is nearly impossible to diagnose the disease before it has reached an advanced stage that is difficult to recover from.
22,440 new cases are diagnosed per year, of which 50% of the people diagnosed are at least 60 years old. One more woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer every 23 minutes in the United States.
Think of how many people you know, or how many hundreds or thousands of Facebook friends you have. Unfortunately, 1 in 75 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer during her life. The heartbreaking result is that this year 14,080 women will die from the cancer.
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance
As bleak as this news is, there is definitely still hope. The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance is on a mission to "promote, advocate for and support scientific research as it relates to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure for ovarian cancer; to provide education cancer; to promote, advocate for and provide supportive services to persons affected by ovarian cancer; and to foster alliances to further these purposes." OCRFA is a great starting point in trying to change the direction that ovarian cancer research is going.
The Alliance explains that their goals are to find cures, foster community, and create conversations. They are the biggest global organization devoted to ending ovarian cancer. They are often responsible for advancing research regarding the prevention, treatment, and eventually end of ovarian cancer.
OCRFA is dedicated to supporting the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, as well as their families and loved ones, before, during, and after diagnosis. Their work ensures that the government is aware of how vital it is to support ovarian cancer research.
Since 1998, as the largest non-government funder of ovarian cancer research, OCRFA has invested $75 million dollars in private research at 71 different leading medical institutions in order to start research they believed in, and every day medical scientists are able to make breakthroughs that will affect women with ovarian cancer due to OCRFA's funding and support.
OCRFA is committed to their "Survivors Teaching Students: Saving Women's Lives" program, which ensures that women fighting ovarian cancer also work with scientists and policymakers to ensure that there is an understanding of what is needed of them from the ovarian cancer community. Due to OCRFA, more than 11,000 health providers per year are educated by 800 survivors about the risk factors and symptoms experienced with ovarian cancer.
On Capitol Hill, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance fought in order to secure $2.2 billion in federal funding since 1998 in order to promote ovarian cancer research and awareness. This money has made tremendous breakthroughs in the community, and it would be nearly impossible for research to be where it is today without that funding.
Moving forward
Despite how bleak the situation may seem, there must be a way forward. Credit must be given to the researchers, and frustration must be turned into action by urging legislators to fund the clinical trials that are now beginning to disappear. Thousands of lives are affected by cuts to clinical trial funding, so it is of massive importance that everyone does their part to reach out to their represented officials in an attempt to regain funding. You can also donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance to support the work they do in promoting the progression of ovarian cancer research.
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