Hopes for the Future of Gynecologic Cancer Research
July 24, 2012
As I mentioned at the end of my last post, one of B.C.’s greatest strengths is the work that is being done in genomics, and we’re thrilled that the scientists at the GSC allow us to continue to “play in their sandbox,” so to speak!
Our work with the GSC has led to some strong potential targets, and now is the time for us to venture into development of new, more targeted, less invasive therapies to help patients lead longer, healthier lives. Ten years from now, I hope our predictions will be correct and we will start seeing a reduction in the incidence of ovarian cancer.
My second hope for the future is that we’ll be able to determine which women with endometriosis are at risk for cancer, and which are not. We are still working to identify the factors, but I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to solve this one, and there’s a good basis to suggest that we will.
I’m also hopeful about the future of gynecological screening. Identifying opportunities for prevention is huge. Screening can be more difficult, and it likely will be for ovarian cancer, because ovarian cancer doesn’t have a long pre-cancerous phase like we’ve seen in cervical cancer. But there is a pre-cancerous phase, which suggests the potential for a screen, and this is our challenge, our goal to work towards.
Until next time,
Dianne