Physicians today begin seeking volunteers recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer to participate in a new study of the genetic treatment, which targets alterations in a gene called p53. Defects in this gene are linked to approximately 57 percent of ovarian cancers. For a first-phase clinical study, the results were really provocative. Elevated levels of CA-125, a protein produced by ovarian cancer cells, can indicate that ovarian cancer is present in the body. Decreased levels of CA-125 suggest cancer is responding to treatment.
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among all gynecologic cancers.
The cancer remains in the abdominal and pelvic cavities throughout most of its lifetime, so it logically follows that we may effectively attack the cancer by periodically infusing doses of the gene therapy directly into those areas. Cancer is caused by mutations in the genes of normal cells. So if you want to successfully treat cancers, you should develop drugs specifically to fight the mutations involved. Unlike traditional chemotherapy that kills both cancer cells and healthy cells, the experimental treatment relies on repairing defective p53 genes. Targeting cancer cells without harming healthy cells helps patients avoid chemotherapy-induced side effects such as hair loss, severe nausea and weakened immune systems.