"But this study suggests that the addition of hormone therapy to our treatment strategy could extend and improve the lives of women with cancer."
Almost 7,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are being diagnosed in the UK every year with one in 48 women falling victim to the disease at some point. Current treatment involves surgery and chemotherapy, but most ovarian cancers return within two years. The new treatment, known as Letrozole hormone therapy, has already been successful in dealing with breast tumours. It turns off the supply of the hormone oestrogen, a substance which is essential for the growth of some cancers.
Scientists were able to track the progress of the tumours during treatment by looking at levels of a molecule in the blood which is secreted by ovarian cancer. A quarter of the women tested showed no tumour growth after six months of the therapy, while almost one third of the group most sensitive to oestrogen showed a positive response, allowing chemotherapy to be delayed.
15 June 2007
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