title: Developing intervention/prevention strategies for individuals at high risk of developing hereditary ovarian cancer.
abstract: In 1994, an estimated 24,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. Most of these patients will have disease spread beyond the ovary at the time of diagnosis; despite tumor debulking and aggressive platinum-based chemotherapy, their long-term prognosis is poor. In view of the advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis and the poor results of conventional therapy, advances in early detection and/or prevention are desperately needed. The recent recognition that a family history of the disease is perhaps the strongest risk factor for the development of ovarian cancer offers a unique opportunity to identify women at high risk for ovarian cancer and to develop effective screening methods and prevention/intervention strategies for these high-risk women. The results of the breakout session "Developing Strategies for Intervention/Prevention Trials for Individuals at Risk of Hereditary Ovarian Cancer" are summarized here. The majority of the discussion in this session focused on three major issues: 1) identification of moderate- and high-risk individuals who would potentially benefit from screening, prevention, and intervention efforts; 2) assessment of the effectiveness of current screening modalities and the usefulness of current intervention/prevention strategies; and 3) recommendations for clinical trial design.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Gallion
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009154:Mutation; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors