Ovarian
cancer is any cancerous growth that could occur in different parts of the
ovary. The major form of ovarian cancer arises from the epithelium which is the
outer lining of the ovary. It is the eighth most common cancer among women in the United States.
A team of
international scientists have identified six genes that increase a woman’s chances
of developing ovarian cancer. This discovery could help researchers find new
ways to treat and possibly prevent the disease. This form of cancer has been
referred to as a silent killer because most of the time it isn’t detected until
it is at an advanced stage.
According to the article, a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer is greatly increased if she inherits a harmful mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. But the six new variants identified by the researchers have a subtle impact than the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Each of the newly discovered variants increases the risk of cancer by a very small amount.
I believe that this is a big discovery in the medical field. According to The American Cancer Society an estimated 21,290 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year and about 14,180 women will eventually die from it. I think that the research completed by these scientists will help us diagnose this disease in the earlier stages in the near future before it spreads out to its final stage.
I concur; this discovery has the potential to save thousands of lives. I knew that the risk of ovarian cancer could be inherited, but I didn't know that the mutations that causes the cancer has variants that increases the risk as well. Cancer is a sensitive topic for me because I've lost precious people to it. I hope that this new diagnosis opens doors for detecting other cancers as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well. The last statistic that you posted "an estimated 21,290 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year and about 14,180 women will eventually die from it" shows that this truly is a "silent killer". I did not know that this type of cancer could be inherited but if it can be detected early like any other form of cancer the chances of beating it increase.
ReplyDeleteI also agree. This article caught my attention because I have people in my family that have passed away from these types of cancer. Too many people find out in the later stages of their cancer when there is not much that can be done. I hope this study will lead to detecting the cancer early on so we do not have to lose any more loved ones.
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