Ovacome News

1230 2010

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:30:37 GMT

Join us for canapés, a glass of bubbly, entertainment and much more, in The Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand located on the Upper Concourse alongside the Eurostar platform of St Pancras International on Friday 24 September. If you need an excuse to party AND make valuable contacts - this is it! A fabulous lead into your weekend!

A truly unique and stunning venue the glamorous St Pancras Grand Champagne Bar is Europe's longest and is situated below the magnificent Barlow Shed, giving full view of the amazing architecture of this historic Victorian station as well as the modern speed of EuroStar.

1230 The Women's Company is very honoured to be joined by our special guest, renowned film, stage, TV and radio star Jenny Agutter whose huge success in the Railway Children film encouraged us to link this year's theme to railways. We are proud to have Ovacome as our Charity Partner - the charity supporting those affected by ovarian cancer - for the fourth year.

If you have joined us in previous years at our charity events you will know that the entertainment is always superb - this year is no different, and in fact the best yet, but it needs to remain a surprise! You will love it!

This is a great opportunity to network and have some fun in a truly amazing setting, all in an excellent cause.

Fabulous Raffle Prizes, Hand massages, goody bag items and special offers from Neal's Yard - proceeds from this events go to Ovacome.

Booking deadline - 20 August. For further details and to book visit: www.1230.co.uk or email: events@1230.co.uk or call: 020 8650 8015

OvPlex ITN

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:46:42 GMT

ITN News ran a feature on Tuesday 29th June about ovarian cancer and the importance of early detection of the disease to save lives. The feature centered on a new test launched in the UK in March this year called OvPlex^TM which targets symptomatic women and is statistically significantly better than CA125 alone (the current standard blood test) in the detection of ovarian cancer.

You can watch the video on the ITN website here.

The OvPlex test is available privately via Spire Hospitals. For more information visit www.OvPlex.co.uk

Adida 5k 2010

Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here come the GIRLS!

On the 5th September 2010 the Adidas Women's 5k Challenge will be held in Hyde Park, London. Team Ovacome (from the office!) run this event every year and we always love to meet all the women running and walking in memory of loved ones and to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer.

Enter online at the link below or simply request an entry form from the Ovacome office on 020 7299 6654. Entry costs £15, £5 of which goes direct to Ovacome.

http://www.womenschallenge.co.uk/home

Genetic screening

Tue, 04 May 2010 11:52:37 GMT

It is now possible to predict our genetic predisposition to many conditions. A recent Harvard study examined gene mutations in breast cancer cells that were responsible for a lack of response to anthracycline chemotherapy. This could pave the way for tailor-made treatments for cancer sufferers.

It is less clear, however, whether we should advocate diagnostic genetic testing in healthy people, unless they are at high risk. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) has recommended genetic testing for conditions such as breast cancer, where the lifetime risk is one in three or higher, based on family history of breast and ovarian cancers. On average, the lifetime risk is one in nine.

London Marathon 2010

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:43:27 GMT

Thank you!

Janelle Johnson
Sarah Hanness
Laura Tollerton
Sarah Rogers
Karen Summerville
Rachel Baker
Alison Clarke
Edward Vincent
Richard Hawkes
Simon Leeson
Raymond Gee

Please note that if you would like to run for Ovacome in 2011 we have a very limited number of Golden Bond places and would therefore ask that anyone interested tries to obtain a place through the general London Marathon ballot first before applying to us.

Cancer & fatigue

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:42:39 GMT

Researchers in Trinity College Dublin are investigating the causes of cancer fatigue and the factors that contribute to the development of chronic fatigue in some cancer patients. The study is funded by the Irish Cancer Society and the IRCSET 'Embark Initiative'.

Who can participate?
Anyone who (a) has been treated for cancer or is currently being treated for cancer and (b) is experiencing fatigue.

What does participation involve?
Participation involves filling in a number of questionnaires about your fatigue, the factors you believe contribute to your fatigue, and the coping strategies you use to manage this symptom.

How can I participate?
If you would like to participate please complete this online questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CancerFatigueStudy

If you would prefer to complete the questionnaire in hard copy or if you would like further information, please contact the researcher: Maria Pertl (Phone: 01 896 3083 / E-mail: pertlm@tcd.ie).

Emily McArthur

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:14:19 GMT

I may have had cancer - twice - but I'd like to think I haven't let it control my life. It's just that I've ended up following a different path from the one I anticipated. While I've got to 30 the hard way I'm now healthy.

Most incredibly of all, I have my baby daughter Molly, who is now nine months old. I'm so lucky. Having a baby after ovarian cancer is rare and especially so after having it twice. Molly did more than just make me a mum she also stopped people looking at me as simply a cancer patient.

Spring 2010 newsletter

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:12:43 GMT

Ovacome's Spring 2010 newsletter is now available to download here.

We'll never forget you

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:27:12 GMT

Deborah Garrett's death from ovarian cancer at just 38 left
her family shattered - here they remember her brave fight in a special issue of Fabulous magazine focussing on gynaecological cancers.

Loving for Lovers

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:45:07 GMT

The joy of love and despair of loss - two sides of the same coin and two intense feelings that Ovacome member Diana Tennyson relates beautifully in her new collection of poems, 'Loving for Lovers'.

Diana met Ovacome founder Sarah Dickinson at the first Ovacome AGM in 1996 and has been a supporter ever since. She has written several poems for friends affacted by cancer and this book, dedicated to a friend who died of cancer eight years ago, is her new collection focussing on love and the loss lof love.

Ovacome will receive a percentage of sales from the book which can be purchased from the Ovacome office for £10.98 including P&P. Please contact the office or send a cheque made payable to 'Ovacome' to the office address if you would like a copy.

IP trial

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:19:07 GMT

A breakthrough in the treatment of ovarian cancer is this week being trialled in Britain. It could save the lives of thousands of women, medical researchers believe.

A joint British-Canadian trial of the new technique, known as intraperitoneal chemotherapy, will be launched at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Scalp Cooling

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Melanie Rowland is very proud of her thick white hair.She did not realise just how important it was to her until she risked losing it all, during chemotherapy.

But thanks to a charity donation of a scalp cooler the 61-year-old from Surrey was able to keep the vast majority of her hair. The machines work by lowering the temperature of the head and scalp by a few degrees before, during and after chemotherapy.

GPs in drive to prevent 10,000 cancer deaths

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:26:46 GMT

There are more than 200 forms of cancer, and many of their symptoms are the same as for a range of other, often less serious, conditions. Computers could help doctors get it right more often when deciding whether to investigate a patient further, discharge them or refer them to hospital.

"This is helping GPs because none of us can retain this sort of information [about cancer symptoms] and having to retain it for bowel cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer, as well as for heart disease, it would take a remarkable human brain to be able to do that, so why not get computers to support it?" said Professor Mike Richards, the government's cancer tsar.

Christmas

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:22:55 GMT

The Ovacome office and support service will be closed over Christmas from 5pm on the 23rd December to 9am on the 4th Jan.

We would like to wish all our supporters a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

JSmith

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:51:58 GMT

When Ovacome member Jennifer Smith's tummy swelled up, she put it down to overeating. It was the only sign she had a life-threatening disease.

""I was just 40 when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That's pretty unusual - only 15% of cases occur in women below the age of 50. It's one of those diseases that's completely unsexy. It lacks the trendy factor: we don't have a poster girl like Kylie Minogue. Ask a bunch of women what to look for with breast cancer and most will know at least a little. Ask them about ovarian cancer and the majority won't even have heard of it, let alone know what the symptoms are. I was one of those. "

Best magazine

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:54:20 GMT

Article in Best magazine featuring Ovacome member Gillian Pinnock.

See the whole article here.

Penny Lang

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:25 GMT

Penelope, who lives in Northampton with her husband Alastair, 35, a risk manager, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October last year. Ovarian cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK, with about 7,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Most of these are post-menopausal women, but many hundreds of young women are also affected.

Penelope's experience was typical. The only sign something was wrong was a bloated stomach. But she was one of the lucky ones: a scan for an unrelated problem detected the rapidly-growing cancer early, saving her life.

Autumn / Winter 2009 Newsletter

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:42:14 GMT

Ovacome's Autumn/ Winter 2009 newsletter is now available to download here.

Speedier tests

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:38:46 GMT

GPs in England are to get speedier access to diagnostic tests to help spot less clear-cut cancer cases, Prime Minister Gordon Brown will pledge.

It will initially be targeted at lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers, which account for more than a third of cancer deaths and where late diagnosis is a particular problem.

OvPlex

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:19:56 GMT

Louise Bayne, CEO of Ovacome:

"Ovacome welcomes this latest development, however we don't anticipate that this test will be available on the NHS for some time. If you have any questions or concerns about screening, please contact our nurses on 0845 371 0554."

For more information, visit the OvPlex website.

Ovacome surveys

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:28:51 GMT

One of Ovacome's main missions is to provide a voice for those affected by the disease. Our surveys in the past have been widely distributed and warmly received. Your experiences have informed the Department of Health, as well as researchers and professional bodies. The results have been presented at international meetings as well as local events. Our 2006 survey remains the largest of its kind in the UK.

In preparation for ovarian cancer awareness month 2010, we wanted to learn more about your path to diagnosis. What was good? What could have been done better?

We would like your help in completing two quick online surveys. These surveys focus on what the barriers to your diagnosis were, and how we can remove them.

One called The Ovacome GP Experience Survey, which can be found here.

The second is called The Diagnosis Pathway Survey, which can be found here.

If you can, please do complete them both as they focus on different aspects of your diagnosis experiences.

The surveys are completely anonymous; we will not be able to trace the origins at all. Please do answer the questions as comprehensively as possible - the more we understand, the better we can use your experiences to help other women with ovarian cancer.

If you have any questions, please do feel free to call us or email us.

Thank you so much.

Genetic DNA fault

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:43:42 GMT

A genetic link to the disease, which often lies hidden until it's so advanced that it's difficult to treat, was revealed earlier this month.

The study involved more than 4,000 UK women and collaboration between the Cancer Research UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge and University College, London.

New factsheets

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:44:53 GMT

Ovacome is delighted to announce our 15 new and fully updated information factsheets. These cover various aspects of ovarian cancer such as types of ovarian cancer, staging and questions to ask your doctor as well as information on topics such as symptoms, screening, treatment options, relapse and coping with cancer-related issues like menopause and your sexuality.

We are also pleased to be able to tell you that that all our fact sheets have now been crystal marked by the Plain English Campaign, an organisation dedicated to clear and concise information in plain English.

For a full list of subjects covered or to download any of the factsheets from our website, please click here.

You can also make a request by phone or post.

The first glimmer of hope of more tailored screening?

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:55:02 GMT

A study published in Nature Genetics this week reported on a new development in ovarian cancer genetics. They have discovered a genetic variation, known as a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism ('SNP' - known as a 'snip') which can increase the risk of ovarian cancer. The scientists based at the Cancer Research UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit, at the University of Cambridge and University College London, have spent eight years looking at the DNA of thousands of women with and without ovarian cancer. The area of risk DNA otherwise known as a low penetrance gene is on chromosome 9. Louise Bayne CEO of Ovacome said: "This is the first of the low penetrance ovarian cancer genes - which slightly increase the risk of ovarian cancer - to be identified and Ovacome welcomes this exciting advance."

What is a low penetrance gene?

Dr James Mackay, Consultant Clinical Genetic Oncologist, explains that low penetrance genes slightly increase the risk of ovarian cancer, whereas high penetrance genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 increase the risk much more. If you imagine a room with 1000 women in it, and imagine they all had totally normal genes, over their lifetimes, 10 of the women in the room would get ovarian cancer. Now if you imagine that all the 1000 women had this new genetic 'SNP', then over a lifetime 14 of the women would get ovarian cancer. If you imagine that they all had a BRCA gene mutation, 400 of them would get ovarian cancer. So you can see that although this does increase the risk of ovarian cancer a little, it is a small increase compared to some of the major genetic detections we already know about. The really important thing about this study is that, as more low penetrance ovarian cancer genes are identified, a more tailored approach to screening could be provided.

Adidas 5k

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:07:12 GMT

Run (or walk!) the London Adidas Women's 5k on Sept 6th in Hyde Park in support of Ovacome and to raise awareness of ovarian cancer! Deadline for applications is the 15th Aug.

www.womenschallenge.co.uk

I was only 31 when I got ovarian cancer -- so I urge all women to get checked out

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:53:45 GMT

The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) is calling on the Government to urgently set up risk-assessment clinics for ovarian cancer in strategic locations around the country.

Ovary cancer signs 'confusion'

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There is "widespread confusion" amongst doctors and women about ovarian cancer, a new report has said.

A spokesman for the Royal College of GPs said it was "extraordinarily difficult" to diagnose ovarian cancer at an early stage.

Summer 2009 newsletter

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:58:15 GMT

Ovacome's Summer 2009 newsletter is now available to download here.

Sandra

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:50:19 GMT

Sandra Woodward was diagnosed when she retired to Clungunford more than six years ago and dedicated her life to furthering the welfare and care of cancer patients in Herefordshire and Powys. She studied the disease, becoming a recognised expert, speaking at conferences in the UK and in Europe.

Sandra was a valued member of the Ovacome trustee board and will be greatly missed by all at Ovacome.

Marathon 2009 thanks

Wed, 13 May 2009 17:59:11 GMT

Alison Clarke
Alice Kaphan
Rachel Baker
Rachel Ireland
Jason Critoph
Martyn Jones
Kate Baker
Malanie McMath
Andrew Shaw
Jim O'Leary

The Guardian on 'Chemobrain'

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Susan Sontag likened hers to the symptoms of a stroke, while Kylie Minogue complained that it made her forget everything. Welcome to chemobrain or, less catchily, "cancer treatment-related change in cognitive function" - a widespread problem for cancer patients which, until recently, has been largely ignored by clinicians.

Screening may hold the key to beating ovarian cancer

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Survival rates in British women with cancer of the ovary are well below those of their peers in the US and most of Europe. This is a situation that the Department of Health and leading cancer charities hope to address through a joint campaign to increase awareness of the symptoms of the disease - both among women and healthcare professionals.

Ovarian Cancer Test May Stop 'Silent Killer'

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new screening test for ovarian cancer can diagnose the disease long before women have any symptoms, research suggests.

Symptoms WH

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It has historically been known as "the silent killer", but many now think the label to be an unhelpful description of ovarian cancer. In February 2009 the Department of Health published "key messages for health professionals" which included a list of symptoms linked to the disease. Jane is joined by the GP Dr Sarah Jarvis who was closely involved in the drafting of those key messages, and Loretta Oliver, who has advanced ovarian cancer and runs awareness workshops about the disease for women who work in the City.

Listen to this programme here

Spring 2009 newsletter

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ovacome's Spring 2009 newsletter is now available to download here.

'I'm amazed it went undetected so long'

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When the MP David Lammy's mother started feeling back pain, he bought her a new bed. But the cause was ovarian cancer, one of the UK's biggest killers.

Ovarian Cancer & IVF

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Taking fertility drugs does not increase a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer", BBC News has reported. It said that a study of over 50,000 women who visited fertility clinics between 1963 and 1998 found no increased risk of the cancer in women who took any of the four types of drugs which were examined.