Letter from the CEO

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a time of year that brings this disease to the attention of many Americans who might otherwise not know about ovarian cancer. Women and men learning about ovarian cancer for the first time often ask similar questions: Am I at risk? What can I do to prevent this disease? Isn’t there some screening test that would help women be diagnosed earlier?

This issue of The Teal Journal answers many of those questions. We’ve compiled the latest information from several screening studies, as well as information about new tests that may help doctors diagnosis women. Dr. Michael Seiden of Fox Chase Cancer Center joined us to talk about prevention—whether a woman has average or elevated risk. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to cover women’s preventive health services without co-pays; as our Report from Capitol Hill notes, the covered services are a mixed bag for women at high risk of developing ovarian cancer.

September also brings questions about what is new and exciting in ovarian cancer research. Many experts agree that genetics are one of the most promising areas in modern oncology. In this issue, we highlight one scientist working in the field of genetics. Dr. R. Stephanie Huang is using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas to explore how a woman’s genetic makeup and the genes found in her tumors could pinpoint the most effective therapies for her ovarian cancer.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Email us at editor@ovariancancer.org or post your question on The Teal Journal Facebook page.

Sincerely yours,
Karen Orloff Kaplan, MSW, MPH, ScD
Chief Executive Officer, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance