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In almost 80 percent of ovarian cancer patients, the diagnosis comes once they’ve already reached the advanced stage. Roughly one quarter of those women diagnosed have no warning that they are resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy, the main line of defense. The diagnosis, prognosis, and even treatment of ovarian cancer have remained largely unchanged for 30 years.
Until now, the best indicator for how a woman will fare, and how her cancer should be treated, has been the tumor’s stage at diagnosis. Now, scientists have uncovered patterns of DNA anomalies that predict a woman’s outcome significantly better than tumor stage. In addition, these patterns are the first known indicator of how well a woman will respond to platinum therapy. Pending experimental revalidation in the clinic, the patterns could be the basis of a personalized prognostic and diagnostic laboratory test. This test would predict both the patient’s survival and the tumor’s sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy, and doctors could tailor treatment accordingly.Image credit: Nathan Galli, University of Utah
