Dr. Cheng Wang, assistant professor in UNMC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, recently received a $40,000 grant from Colleen’s Dream Foundation to continue his work in developing an early detection test for ovarian cancer.
Wang says ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal cancers out there because most women don’t find out they have the disease until it’s too late to treat, at stage III or IV.
He says his research is centered on finding a bio-marker that can be used for early detection of the disease.
Previously, most thought ovarian cancer originated in the ovaries, but Wang says new research indicates that there are certain cells in the fallopian tubes that may easily transform into cancer cells.
"Now we already have evidence that this cancer mainly comes from cells in the fallopian tubes. During ovulation, the ovaries rupture these cancer cells. The cells then seep into one or both ovaries, developing into ovarian cancer.”
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2012, 22,280 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 15,500 women died from the disease.
Wang says if you can catch it at the early stage, the survival rate is more than 90%, but captured at a later stage, the survival rate is only about 30% and that’s why early detection is crucial.
For more information, the website is colleensdream.org.