23andMe Misses Almost 90% of BRCA Mutation Carriers

Ugh, I just read this article published on the Clearity Foundation website. 23andMe, which is FDA approved, only tested for the three most common mutations among women with a personal or family history of cancer.

Although 23andMe was not mentioned by name in the results, presented at the annual American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics recently, the study criticizes the lack of clinical utility of direct-to-consumer tests rather than criticizing the company itself.

Apparently 23andMe has been widely criticized for offering the test which gives many women a false sense of security. The FDA does caution women being tested by 23andMe that over 1,000 other BRCA mutations are not tested. That's a shockingly high number.

Of 4,700 women tested by another company, Invitae, only 12% had one of the 3 mutations tested for by 23andMe; 88% had a different mutation.

I understand why women with a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer choose to be tested by 23andMe - it's much cheaper when paying out of pocket for something their own insurance may not cover. These results should strengthen arguments to insurance companies to fully cover genetic testing.

To read the complete article, follow this link.

Immunotherapy and Gynecological Cancers from Facebook Live

Thanks to Anne for sending this link along to me.

Ursula Matulonis, M.D. and director of GynOnc at Dana Farber, has recently presented new information on Facebook Live about immunotherapy for ovarian cancer.

She discusses research advances, clinical trials, and the buzz that surrounds gynecological immunotherapy.

Cruise for a Cause: Saturday May 4, 2019

Cruise For A Cause - Saturday, May 4th Please join us for a beautiful and fun luncheon cruise around Boston Harbor. Good food, dancing, games, raffles and friends all on our own private deck! So far we have prizes from the Huntington Theater, Four Seasons Hotel, Boating in Boston, the Boston Red Sox, Park Plaza Hotel and more arriving every day! For details and to purchase tickets click here! Don't delay - get your tickets before we sell out!

12th Annual W.A.R. (Walk and Run) Against Ovarian Cancer Join us and be a part of this movement with us as we create a Sea of Teal in Framingham. TOGETHER we can make a DIFFERENCE! More details and to register click here

This beautiful Pin of Hope was designed by a young girl who lost her mom to ovarian cancer right before the holidays and has spent the past few months creating and selling this pin for her Bat Mitzvah project with the money designated to go towards supporting and helping other local women like her mom who are struggling with an ovarian cancer diagnosis. She will be creating more pins and will have them for sale at the WAR Event for only $5 each.

1st Annual 5k Walk/Run And Family Fun Day! Please join us at our first event in Western Massachusetts! After the 5K, there will be music, raffles, games and more fun than you can imagine! So pack a lunch and have fun with all of us!  There will be grills available for anyone to use! More details and to register click here

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS OF OUR 1ST ANNUAL WESTERN MASS 5K WALK/RUN AND FAMILY FUN DAY!

11th Annual Carol Hanf Memorial Golf Tournament September 13, 2019 Brookmeadow Country Club, Canton  Florida style 8:30am Shotgun Start Carol passed away 14 years ago from ovarian cancer, and her fighting spirit still lives in her family and friends, especially with her daughters Alyson and Ashley who, along with their father, hold this event each year in remembrance of Carol. Click here to register for the tournament.

13th Annual Learning for Living with Ovarian Cancer Symposium Saturday, September 14th To reserve your space, please click here

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS WHO HELP TO MAKE THIS DAY POSSIBLE!

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP'S ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR ALL OF THESE EVENTS.  THESE SPONSORSHIP'S OFFER YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND GET YOUR INFORMATION TO WOMEN FIGHTING OVARIAN CANCER!  FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SUSAN@OVATIONSFORTHECURE.ORG

CD47: The "Don't Eat Me" Signal

Macrophages are nifty cells that literally eat (ok, engulf and then digest) cells that are not recognized as good cells by our immune system. They are the clean-up team and their importance can't be minimized.

So why do cancer cells evade macrophages? That's what researchers are working on finding the answers to. But one group, out of Stanford, have discovered one escape mechanism that cancer cells use to evade macrophages.

Called CD47, this protein coats cancer cells and sends out a "don't eat me" signal. It is very commonly expressed in the body (after all, we don't want macrophages to eat good cells). How cancer cells hijack CD47 to protect itself is a mystery but researchers have found a way to block CD47 on cancer cells in a phase 1 study. Altho phase 1 studies are designed to determine the overall safety of a drug as well as optimal dosing, several women with ovarian or fallopian malignancies had partial remissions of their disease. This has prompted phase 2 trials to begin for ovarian cancer.

To read more about this research, follow this link.