Developing a screening test for ovarian cancer
Monday, 30 July 2018
A University of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ scientist and leading ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ surgeon is developing an early detection test for a deadly cancer and has today received a funding boost from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF).
Professor Martin Oehler, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University’s Robinson Research Institute and Director of Gynaecological Oncology at the Royal ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ Hospital, is one of seven Australian scientists awarded a share of $2.8 million in funding from the OCRF to support research into early detection and better treatment of ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecological disease. Every year, more than 1600 Australian women are diagnosed with the disease and it claims the lives of more than 1000. It is known as the silent killer, as women with early stage ovarian cancer commonly do not present with any symptoms. This means the disease is often not detected until the advanced stages and spread beyond the ovaries, with the five-year survival rate a depressingly low 45 per cent.
Unlike other cancers which can be diagnosed by effective screening at an early stage (eg cervical cancer by cervical screening test or breast cancer by mammography), an early detection test for ovarian cancer does not exist.
Focusing on the immune system’s response, Professor Oehler has identified three potential targets that indicate with high accuracy the presence of early ovarian cancer.
The targets are called autoantibodies – antibodies produced in r