Promising Genetic Research About Ovarian Cancer

by KYW's medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough

Ovarian cancer is one of the most frustrating forms of cancer because it is often detected so late in the process that little can be done to help treat patients because the disease has progressed so aggressively. That is why genetic research is so important and there is no doubt that studies of the BRCA genes have made a major difference in screening.

Now a report in the journal Nature Genetics finds what can be called a genome-wide association study for ovarian cancer in almost 9000 cases.

The researchers identified defects in chromosome 19 associated with ovarian cancer. The area is near a gene linked closely to BRCA1, suggesting that area might be an important site for further research.