The standard of care is surgery where possible, followed by chemotherapy that is “like a game of Whack-A-Mole” because ovarian cancer cells are evolving and not all the same type of cell, which makes targeted chemotherapy less effective, Ross explains.
While it doesn’t have the public attention of breast or lung cancer, there’s growing awareness of ovarian cancer and momentum building in the research community to improve detection, treatment and, most importantly, prevention before it starts.
“We have a really robust community dedicated to ovarian cancer,” Ross says, adding only a handful of scientists in Canada worked on the disease in the 1990s, which has grown to a network of more than 300 across the country today. Ovarian Cancer Canada also works closely with patient partners, a group of 20 women with ovarian cancer who are part of the study teams for research funded by the organization.
“We’re bringing the patient voice forward. So even though a lot of them are sick, they’re undergoing a recurrence, or they’re in active treatment, they’re committed to being part of the research community. I think it’s the people who give me hope.”
Ovarian cancer stats in Canada
Each year, about 3,000 women in Canada are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 2,000 women will die every year from the disease, according to Ovarian Cancer Canada. Those numbers are projected to rise because of our aging and growing population. Most cases of epithelial ovarian cancer are found in women who have gone through menopause, so aging is one of the top risk factors. Other risks include a family history of ovarian cancer, BRCA gene mutations (breast cancer genes that increase the risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer), excess weight, endometriosis, smoking and sedentary behaviour.