Ovacome Summer 2014

A day of empowerment
Some 40 members gathered for Ovacome’s annual Members’ Day in what was an
uplifting and informative occasion on the latest treatments, how to deal with sex
after surgery and to be confident in dealing with cancer specialists.
Topping the bill for the day was Dr Richard Osborne, a
medical oncologist at the Dorset Cancer Centre in Poole. He
set the tone by telling members that he wanted to “transfer
my personal enthusiasm about the progress in treatment for
ovarian cancer”, which he said was making steady year-onyear
and discernible decade-on-decade improvements.
He assured members
that we are entering
a time of change with
the “chemotherapyalone
era” coming to
an end. Personalised
treatment plans, he
said, are replacing a
one-shot approach
for all and multiple
options are available to fight the late stage disease which
three out of four ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with.
With this being the case, many women will face a life of
treating the ovarian cancer as a chronic disease, he said.
“We want to cure ovarian
cancer, but have to accept
that in the majority of
cases it will be about
disease modification: To
make the cancer inactive
and give women a longer
life. Actually, doctors very
rarely cure anything, but
modify it as we see with
high blood pressure and
diabetes.”
A fond farewell
Noëline Young (pictured above
receiving flowers of thanks from
Ovacome’s chief executive Louise
Bayne) stepped down as chair at
Members’ Day after 10 years.
Members’ feedback:
‘As always, a great day. My only complaint is
that there is never enough time to talk with as
many people as one might wish’
‘It was worth coming for Dr Richard Osborne’s
presentation alone- very informative and useful.
All speakers very good and well organised day.’
The introduction of
avastin, as a maintenance
drug to treat late stage
disease, fits with this.
But while it gives cause
for optimism we should
not be cracking open the
champagne yet, said Dr
Osborne. “Avastin is not a magic wand. It has its place, but
we should not get too worked up about it. There’s uncertainty
about who to treat with it. Those higher-risk women with
residual disease after treatment seem to do better.”
Other new and exciting strategies
are emerging, he said, including
personalised therapy based
on molecular profiling and
immunotherapy, in which the immune
system is reactivated to fight the
cancer. Then there is
supra-radical surgery
involving lasers and
around 12 hours on
the operating table
and anti-androgen
therapy, to ‘switch off’ male hormones in
women (Coral trial).
Meanwhile, hot topics being debated in
the medical community include giving
oophorectomy surgery for BRCA mutation carriers; surgery
or chemotherapy first (CHORUS trial); giving dosedense
paclitaxel (ICON 8 trial) and PARP inhibitors as
maintenance therapy to BRCA carriers (see pages 6 and 7).
This is all shows that the chemotherapy alone era is ending,
said Dr Osborne. “New strategies are emerging of targeting
therapy, turning switches off, using the patient’s personalised
genetic make up and harmonising the immune system. But at
the same time earlier diagnosis remains a very high priority.”
• Talks were also given by Dr Helen Fairhurst on sex after
surgery (see pages 10 and 11) and there was a confidence
building workshop from trainer Deb Puleston (see
Ovacome’s autumn/winter 2014 newsletter).
Senior help
members’ day
Dr Richard Osborne: end of
chemo-only era.
Senior research associate, Lindsay Fraser, appealed
for members to help her with a new area of research
‘exploring the journey of women diagnosed with ovarian
cancer’ in the Gynaecological Cancer Research Centre
at UCL’s Institute for Women’s Health. The research will
explore the journey of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer,
from the patient perspective by talking to women and their
families, rather than examining medical records. Seven
women came forward, but Lindsay sill needs women aged
70-plus, along with their partners, adult children and friends
to help with the scope of the first interview study. Contact
l.fraser@ucl.ac.uk or phone Lindsay on 020 3447 2114.
it together
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554 9