September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Advocates and researchers at the University of Michigan hope that increased awareness about ovarian cancer can save lives.

Here is what they want you to know.

1. Symptoms do exist. Bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating, feeling full quickly, and frequent or urgent urinating are have been shown to be related to a possible case of ovarian cancer and if they persist you should see your doctor.
2. There is no early detection screening test currently.
3. All women should get yearly pelvic exams.
4. Ovarian cancer is difficult to treat because it's often resistant to current treatments.
5. Survival rates are better at the early stage.
6. Most common in older white women.
7. A small number of ovarian cancers are hereditary, linked to the same genes that are linked to breast cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
8. The best person to treat ovarian cancer is a gynecologic oncologist.

More than one-third of Canadian women believe that the human papillomavirus vaccine prevents ovarian cancer, according to a new survey by Ovarian Cancer Canada. Also, twenty-five percent believe that routine Pap smears can detect ovarian cancer. The HPV vaccine can prevent some HPV strains from causing infections that can lead to cervical cancer, and the Pap smear can detect early signs of cervical change.

Barbara Vanderhydren, of the University of Ottawa, says that she is concerned that many young women will believe that gynecological exams are not necessary if they have been vaccinated.

Let's hope that as this new vaccine takes off, physicians take the time to educate patients on what it can and can't protect against.

Women with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors who undergo surgery intended to preserve fertility, in addition to platinum-based chemotherapy, are likely to maintain fertility, says a new study from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors occur in the eggs of the ovary and tend to affect young women.

71 out of the 132 patients in the study underwent the procedure and reported still having menstrual periods and 37 children had been born to 24 of the women after their cancer treatment. Compared to the controls, the cancer survivors had higher reproductive concerns, less sexual pleasure. However they scored higher in terms of relationships with significant others, either within marriage or outside of marriage.

Dr. David M. Gershenson said that only half the patients had the fertility-sparing surgery, which "is much too low and reflects the fact that many of the patients underwent primary surgery by non-subspecialists who performed unnecessary sterilizing surgery in many cases."

Ovarian cancer has the highest death rate of any cancer tied to the human female reproductive system, so when news of a possible leap forward in treatment comes about, many millions of people listen up.

In the latest news, an experimental vaccine has been found to assist in treating (but not preventing) epithelial ovarian cancer. This is the most common type of ovarian cancer.

An ovarian cancer vaccine would be the preferred way to treat this deadly condition, which is generally found too late into its progression to make it a non-deadly cancer type. Based on this fact, a strong treatment has been hailed as what is needed. Perhaps that day is close at hand.

Those of us following cancer news wait with baited breath for news of cures and treatments with promising results. So it's always a bit of a disappointment when it's bad news, like this: New Zealand researches and determined that the clinical trails on an Ovarian Cancer Drug called DMXAA have not demonstrated any positive results.

The premise behind the drug was that it could kill cancer by reducing the blood supply to tumors, and it was given to Ovarian Cancer patients, along with Chemotherapy, to see if it would make a difference in recovery. Unfortunately, it didn't, and research on Ovarian cancer will be put on the backburner to make way for Lung Cancer trials at Novartis in New Zealand.

An interesting article came out this week at the San Diego Union-Tribune by Cheryl Clark discussing the new advisory regarding ovarian cancer symptoms. This advisory was issued in June from the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and the American Cancer Society. The advisory lists four symptoms as possible signs of ovarian cancer: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, frequent or difficult urination, and feeling full quickly or having difficulty eating.

Clark addresses physician reaction to this advisory, which is varied. Some doctors believe that the symptoms are vague and usually harmless and this advisory may cause overtesting or unnecessary anxiety. For example, Dr. Philip Young of Vista, CA said, "This isn't going to save any lives because the symptoms are far too vague." In addition, he and other physicians in the article note that even if these symptoms are reported, the disease is probably in an advanced stage at that point anyway.

Dr. Barbara Goff, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, who helped write the advisory, disagrees.

Can ovarian cancer be identified by certain symptoms? That is the finding of cancer experts this week who announced that possibly insignificant events and signs can turn out to be real-life indicators of ovarian cancer. And, the identification of these relatively light (benign) signs can, however, save lives according the report.

Signs such as bloating, abdominal pain and even eating difficulties are among the signs that one may have ovarian cancer.

Although these signs are not really significant in many circles, they can all be significant indicators when recognized as such. In fact, all these signs -- if they persist daily for a few weeks -- should be investigated by your doctor or oncologist.

Are those mini-tropical vacations, aka hot flashes, getting unbearable? Many women have made the decision not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to reduce hot flashes since news came out stating that women who took HRT were slightly more likely to develop certain illnesses such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and stroke compared with those who didn't take HRT. So what are the options to those unbearable night sweats and those red-faced moments in public that have you fanning your face? Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and read on.

Certain herbs and supplements such as black cohosh, red clover, and soy products may help relieve hot flashes in some women. However, research in this area has only just begun and the effectiveness and safety of these products have not been proven. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is currently conducting research on these products to examine their ability to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Further research is also needed to determine if these products are safe to take for long periods of time. Acupuncture is another CAM therapy that women have tried and some have found relief. But acupuncture has also not been proven to be helpful with hot flashes at this point.

Overall, the research on acupuncture and hot flashes has not been of very good quality to date and further research is underway to determine if acupuncture might be helpful. Certain relaxation and breathing techniques may be helpful in reducing the severity and frequency of hot flashes. Both the relaxation response technique and a breathing technique that involves slow, deep breathing called paced respiration have been shown in small research studies to be helpful. So keep taking those slow deep breaths. When added with meditation time or yoga it can become quite fun, relaxing, healthy, and can get rid of some of those unwanted mini-tropical vacations.

Ginger has been prized for its medicinal properties in traditional health practices for centuries. New interest in the health benefits of ginger has led The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health to fund an investigative study into the possibility that ginger has the extraordinary potential to treat ovarian cancer. University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have discovered that ginger causes ovarian cancer cells to die by several processes. The first is apoptosis, a cellular pathway cancer cells follow leading to a cancer cell suicide. The second process of cancer cell death is autophagy, a result of cancer cells digesting or attacking themselves.

This is an important discovery for ovarian cancer patients because ovarian cancer cells tend to develop a resistance to chemotherapy, leaving few additional options for treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer.

As Dr. J. Rebecca Liu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U-M Medical School and a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center explains, “Most ovarian cancer patients develop recurrent disease that eventually becomes resistant to standard chemotherapy – which is associated with resistance to apoptosis. If ginger can cause autophagic cell death in addition to apoptosis, it may circumvent resistance to conventional chemotherapy.”

In addition, researchers have stated that ginger induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer. Ginger will still have to go through more studies beyond the laboratory setting to confirm the initial findings, but if ginger holds up in the power it has to kill ovarian cancer cells, treatment with ginger would simply involve taking capsules of powdered ginger. How cool is that!

Chemotherapy causes nausea, weakness and hair loss. Certainly challenging enough to manage during cancer treatment. Add to that hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and cold flashes, a clammy feeling, sporadic rapid heart beat, irritability, mood swings, sudden tears, insomnia, fatigue, feelings of anxiety, dread, apprehension, difficulty concentrating, disorientation and mental confusion, and you have chemo-induced menopause. For premenopausal women who are diagnosed with cancer, chemo-induced menopause comes quickly, without warning. There are no years of perimenopause, where symptoms of menopause begin to ease their way, wispy and whispery, into a woman’s consciousness, signaling change is ahead. No, with chemo-induced menopause, a woman is pushed into a dive off a cliff, praying on the way down she can remember form and have the ability to swim.

Sue Richards blogs personal perspective and experience at My Menopause Blog, on how to punctuate life without a period. Her daily life is simple and rich, a complexity of moments she weaves into a story of continuum worth telling. From hot flashes to life stages, men and menopause, menopause fashion and menopause news, Richards is authentic at all times, sharing inherent confusion and insight into one of the most significant stations in the journey of a woman's life. My Menopause blog, in being all about the menopause phases, of transition and transformation, in all the quirky moments of getting from here to there, and hot flashes in between, is a welcome respite and repose, an oasis of charm in wit and wisdom for women.

 Minnie Pauz offers Minnie Moments and humor replacement therapy - her version of HRT. Power Surge, in its 13th year online, is a warm and caring community for women in menopause. Power Surge was created by Alice Lotto Stamm, better known by the online persona, "Dearest," a name given her by a friend who installed her first AOL software.

Women are intuitive in knowing it's best not to travel alone, and building community leads to healing. The station after menopause is an arrival into the mystical circle of wisewomen, the gatekeepers of community. The journey through menopause a challenge in time of life changes. For chemo-induced menopause, a challenge of life changes defying the natural designs of time.

I confess. I do not watch the annual Miss USA pageant. Millions of people in over 90 countries do watch it, but I am not one of them. Or, I haven't been. I might watch now. Because, in my research of all things cancer-related, I found out that Donald Trump's Miss Universe Organization and Miss USA has been actively involved, since 1998, in support of breast cancer and ovarian cancer survivors. Each year, Miss USA raises money for nationally recognized breast and ovarian cancer organizations to fight the spread of these cancers, and has been a strong supporter fighting for Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act legislation. Legislation that could potentially create eight research centers to study the connection between breast cancer and the environment.

I was impressed to learn, that in one year, Shauntay Hinton, Miss USA 2002, helped raise more than $34 million dollars for breast cancer and ovarian cancer research and prevention. For the first time, on Friday, April 21, 2006, maybe I will watch the Miss USA pageant.

According to University of Washington researchers, genetic testing for breast cancer and ovarian cancer is not a perfect science. Between 2002 and 2005, 300 breast cancer patients, who were at higher risk of cancer due to inherited genetic mutations of the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes, were evaluated. The researchers used multiple screening tests to identify mutations not only in the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes, but also other inherited mutations in other genes that may predict breast cancer, such as CHEK2, TP53 and PTEN.

Of the women in the study, 17 percent of the patients carried mutations that went undetected, and 12 percent of them had BRCA1or BRCA2 genes that the standard tests missed. The failure of the standard tests was higher with women who were under 40 years of age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis.

In the U.S., 10 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have the BRCA genes. The researchers stated that the lifetime risk of breast cancer is as high as 80 percent for women who have mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA 2 genes. The risk of ovarian cancer is 40 percent or higher for women who have a BRCA 1 mutation, and 20 percent or higher for women who have the BRCA 2 mutation.

One of the nice aspects of people who leave comments, is that sometimes they share the story of a life that has been touched by cancer and how they are responding to that experience. Over two years ago, Char lost her mother to ovarian cancer. Last month, her father was diagnosed with lung cancer. This has led Char to create Cure Cancer Now, a Cafepress shop featuring apparel, baby wear, pet wear, stickers, buttons, magnets, hats, bags, housewares, mugs, and more, all with the Cure Cancer Now logo, a black ribbon centered with a heart. Proceeds from the sale of the Cure Cancer Now merchandise will go to cancer charity.

After reading the post about the blogging community at RedToeNail and founder Dr. Berman, a lung cancer survivor, who plans to paint one of his toe nails red for every year of his lung cancer survival, with the goal of one day having a complete set of painted red toe nails, Char says, "I hope my father will be able to paint his toes red at some point." We will hope with you.

Hsieh Wen-ling was beginning to isolate herself from the world due to depression, when her friends stepped in and suggested she step outside her circumstances and begin doing volunteer work. Hsieh took the advice of her friends to heart, and started volunteer work in a number of agencies. The experience of giving and purpose changed her perspective and lifted her depression.

Ten years later, Hsieh was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Even though the cancer diagnosis frightened her, when the physician gave her the news, she remained optimistic. Hsieh believes that if one prepares oneself, things do not have to be as bad as some make them. She was determined not to let the cancer drive her back into depression or force her to give up. Hsieh became more devoted to community volunteer work. Her friends new advice was to take it easy, to take care of herself too. She feels that her years of volunteer work played a role in helping her face life with cancer.

Optimism is a choice of attitude that rises from hope, a belief deeply rooted within the soul. From Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl writes, "On choosing one's attitude, everything can be taken from a man but the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way," and "A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how." This is the inspiration of Hsieh's story.

Almost twenty years ago, Sharon Van Meter was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Then she found a tumor behind her ear that was treated with an experimental radio frequency to shrink the tumor. In 2002, Van Meter was diagnosed with ovarian and cervical cancer. Van Meter, a three-time cancer survivor, whose cancer experiences have inspired her to donate her time to charity events benefiting hospice organizations who care for cancer patients, travels the country cooking first class meals to raise funds.

As a child, Van Meter was a gymnast who trained to join the 1972 Olympic team. After that, she went on to become the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, a professional culinary school. According to the Baxter Bulletin feature article about Van Meter, she says her parents were originally against her career choice. Her father wanted her to follow in his footsteps as a lawyer. "It was 1973, I didn't speak French and I ended up at this school with 573 boys," she said. "I cried for the first three months I was there." Van Meter said she passed the time by sending telegrams and calling home. She complained to her mother that the school didn't even have a bathroom for her so she had to stand up like the men. "She sent me a telegram, which I still have today, that said, 'I love you very much. Learn to stand,''" Van Meter said. "That's when the girl in me quit crying and the athlete in me came out to compete." Van Meter faces cancer in much the same way as she has with all of her life endeavors, as an athlete, pressing forward and forging her own path.
Photo credit: Kevin Pieper