Ovarian cancer prevention

Since CA-125 is a non-specific marker, there is no standard recommendation for routine screening for prevention of ovarian cancer. 

O Ovarian cancer is a sporadic disease fewer than 10% of ovarian cancers can be attributed to heredity. Most cases of ovarian cancer occur sporadically, thus making it difficult to screen and prevent. Although heredity accounts for less than... 

Serum cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) is the most extensively evaluated tumor marker for ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, the CA-125 determination is non-specific, and elevated levels can be associated with a number of other gynecologic and gastrointestinal diseases. CA-125 levels in a woman without ovarian cancer, though, are static or tend to decrease over time, whereas levels associated with malignancy will continue to rise.10 Since CA-125 is a non-specific marker, there is no standard recommendation for routine screening for prevention of ovarian cancer. 

Identify the treatment options for prevention of ovarian cancer available to this patient ... 

Determine if patient is at high risk for development of ovarian cancer, and make appropriate recommendations for screening and prevention. 

Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases. Even though a few cancer types are associated with a particular gender (e.g., ovarian cancer, prostate cancer), the onset usually takes place regardless of age, sex, and race. Although cancer prevention remains the ideal approach to eradicate the disease, the best second option is early detection. 

Kwon JS, Daniels MS, Sun CC et al (2010) Preventing future cancers by testing women with ovarian cancer for BRCA mutations. J Chn Oncol 28 675-682... 

They cause substantial DNA damage in tumor cells, preventing tumor growth. Topotecan has been evaluated in metastatic ovarian cancer. Irinotecan is a prodrug that is metabolized to a topoisomerase I inhibitor it has been used in the treatment of colon and... 

Like patients with breast carcinoma, those with ovarian cancer may benefit from treatment with Herceptin in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. Herceptin treatment is effective, in both early and advanced stages of ovarian cancer (when the majority of tumor cells express HER-2 protein), for eliminating the potentially more malignant HER-2-positive tumor cells. The effectiveness of Herceptin is based on the affinity of this monoclonal antibody for the extracellular domain of HER-2, which is common as ovarian carcinomas progress. However, a tumor vaccine inducing antibody and/or T-cell immunity to HER-2 epitopes will ultimately provide the most effective means to prevent the emergence of HER-2-positive cells. 

Bose CK. Does hormone replacement therapy prevent epithelial ovarian cancer Reprod Biomed Online. 2005 11 86-92. 

Ovarian cancer is believed to develop primarily from the surface epithelial cells, which proliferate to cover the exposed surface following ovulation. As a result, factors which prevent ovulation (i.e., increasing numbers of live births, incomplete pregnancies, use of oral contraceptives) are protective against ovarian carcinoma. 

Once an asymptomatic, mutation-positive woman has been identified, she may wish to undergo prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, oophorectomy, or specialized surveillance and prevention strategies for the early detection of both breast and ovarian cancer. The risk of breast cancer can be significantly lower in women choosing prophylactic surgery than in those opting for increased surveillance. ... 

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