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Tom · 05-24-2006, 08:33 AM

Dear Tessa,

I am sorry to hear of your friend's current problem. I recently lost a good friend to ovarian cancer, and I can give you a few suggestions:

One is to insist that the cancer be treated with aggressive surgery to reduce the tumor load as much as possible. This has proiven to be a critical step when used appropriately.

Another tip is to ask the oncologist about getting her on a drug recently making strides in treatment trials, called Ovarex. It is currently in Phase III clinical trials I believe, and targets the CA-125 protein. This protein is overexpressed in 80% of ovarian cancers. It is a monoclonal antibody and works in much the same way as Herceptin does. The website for this drug is www.ovarex.com.

The third suggestion is that she ask about intraperitoneal levage with whatever conventional chemo agent they feel will work best. This is generally tried when there is general spread in the abdominal cavity, and involves literally "washing" the inside of the abdominal cavity with the liquid chemo agent, rather than relying on systemic infusion.

Tom

05-24-2006, 08:33 AM	#3
Tom Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 290	Dear Tessa, I am sorry to hear of your friend's current problem. I recently lost a good friend to ovarian cancer, and I can give you a few suggestions: One is to insist that the cancer be treated with aggressive surgery to reduce the tumor load as much as possible. This has proiven to be a critical step when used appropriately. Another tip is to ask the oncologist about getting her on a drug recently making strides in treatment trials, called Ovarex. It is currently in Phase III clinical trials I believe, and targets the CA-125 protein. This protein is overexpressed in 80% of ovarian cancers. It is a monoclonal antibody and works in much the same way as Herceptin does. The website for this drug is www.ovarex.com. The third suggestion is that she ask about intraperitoneal levage with whatever conventional chemo agent they feel will work best. This is generally tried when there is general spread in the abdominal cavity, and involves literally "washing" the inside of the abdominal cavity with the liquid chemo agent, rather than relying on systemic infusion. Tom