Endometriosis & Ovarian Cancer

Alternative Medicine, Quality of Life & Ovarian Cancer

Molecular Epidemiology of Ovarian Cancer: the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS)

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Risk Factors and Prognosis

Comparison of quality of life & standard end-points of chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer

Alternative Medicine, Quality of Life & Ovarian Cancer
P. Webb, D. Purdie, A. Green
In this project we are interviewing women with ovarian cancer and benign ovarian disease to document the types of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) they have used, their reasons for using them and their quality of life. We will identify factors that predict CAM use and evaluate the relation between CAM use and quality of life. We also aim to address clinical concerns by identifying whether patients defer or abandon conventional therapy for alternative treatments and by quantifying the extent to which women using CAM discuss this with their physician.

Molecular Epidemiology of Ovarian Cancer: the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS)
A. Green, P. Webb, D. Purdie, D. Whiteman, in collaboration with G. Trench, D. Bowtell (Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute), D. Gertig (Uni of Melbourne), A. de Fazio (Westmead Hospital)
This study aims to interview and collect blood and urine samples from more than 1000 women with ovarian cancer and 1000 cancer-free control women from across Australia. Samples of tumour tissue will also be collected from women with this cancer. We will study the relation between environmental factors (family history of disease, reproductive history, medical history, diet, alcohol, smoking etc) and risk of the different subtypes of ovarian cancer. With the Cancer Genetics and Human Genetics Groups at QIMR we will also look for particular genes and genetic mutations associated with ovarian cancer and look at the interaction between genes and environmental factors.

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Risk Factors & Prognosis
A. Green, V. Siskind, D. Purdie, G. Trench, P. Webb, C. Nagle, A. Spurdle, in collaboration with C. Bain (Uni of Qld)
Analysis of data from The Survey of Women's Health (a case-control study of epithelial ovarian cancer) continues, with examination of the relationship between various risk factors (for example, cigarette smoking, hormone replacement therapy, lifetime number of ovulations) and the incidence and prognosis of the disease. Molecular epidemiological studies of ovarian cancer aetiology are also being undertaken.

Comparison of quality of life & standard end-points of chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer
A.Green, K. Horwood, D. Wyld, A.Clavarino, D. Purdie, P.Webb
This project will study women with advanced ovarian cancer being treated with chemotherapy, with a focus on patients whose initial treatment with standard cytotoxic drugs proves ineffective. It will progressively assess the outcomes of palliative chemotherapy from the patients’ perspective by asking which aspects of chemotherapy they value most (eg is tumour shrinkage more important than a lack of side effects) and assessing how their quality of life relates to the measurable clinical effects of chemotherapy.