Using Genetic Testing to Find The Best Course of Ovarian Cancer Treatment

One technological development that has been particularly impactful is the introduction of high-throughput sequencing. "We can now sequence single cells of a tumor," Dr. Dorigo says. "We have multi-parameter testing that allows us to look at many different proteins at the same time. We have tools in the laboratory that allow us to answer some really, really important strategies." High-throughput sequencing is a testing method that looks at RNA and proteins far more quickly and with less expense than previous available methods. As a result, doctors can access information much more quickly about the precise mutated genes in a woman that are influencing the development of their cancer.

Using this new data, doctors can make more informed decisions about what kind of treatment to pursue, from prevention and drug selection to surgery and chemotherapy. "From those studies, we have derived the knowledge that is needed to design new screening strategies and new treatment strategies," Dr. Dorigo says.

Of special interest are the ways in which high-throughput sequencing can lead to more effective drugs to treat ovarian cancer. "We have seen a huge variety of new drugs in clinical trials and I think it is very exciting, more exciting than ever before, to be part of the development of these novel strategies," Dr. Dorigo explains.

For ovarian cancer, high-throughput sequencing has helped to zero in on particular cells that should be targeted in new medications. A 2017 study published in the Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Journal describes how researchers used the screening technique to find stem cells that are particularly vulnerable to ovarian cancer tumors. In this case, researchers were searching for a class of stem cells that may be partially responsible for the high rate of recurrence in ovarian cancer and the development of platinum-resistance to chemotherapy, both of which have been major barriers to effective treatment. With this information, researchers can develop more focused drug compounds that will hopefully weaken the power of these cells and help women with ovarian cancer to remain in remission.

In another 2017 study by researchers at the University of Chicago and the National Institutes of Health, high-throughput sequencing helped to create a remarkably detailed computer model of a tumor. This model can then be tested against different drug compounds to ensure an effective medication path for women with ovarian cancer.

Dr. Dorigo believes that these new methods, when taken in concert, will change the prognosis for many ovarian cancer survivors and limit the number of recurrences. He believes that these changes will both allow women to live more meaningful lives as well as giving doctors a sense of utility and meaning in their work. "Patients that used to recur now live for many years without the disease," Dr. Dorigo says. "They're seeing their grandchildren being born. They enjoy a family life. And personally, I have a quality of life that that I would never be able to offer them if I had to treat them with chemotherapy for recurrent disease."

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