The transplant enables her to regenerate blood cells, particularly the infection-fighting white blood cells, that have been destroyed. The women will be divided randomly into two groups. They will also attempt to assess any differences in quality of life among women on the two treatments, including both physical and psychological well-being. The study will take place at dozens of research centers around the country, all members of either the Gynecologic Oncology Group or one of several other cooperative trial groups that NCI supports. Medical centers that belong to the cooperative trial groups conduct studies jointly and pool their data.
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer in the United States.
In 1996, approximately 26,700 new cases were diagnosed and about 14,800 women died of the disease. Despite its initial responsiveness to chemotherapy, it has remained difficult to cure. The vast majority of cases are not diagnosed until they have reached one of the later stages. The high doses kill not only many cancer cells, but also healthy blood cells. The study design is specified in a document called a protocol.