Kate Winslet Lost Her Mother To Ovarian Cancer — Now She’s Spreading Awareness About The Disease

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“Having lost our mum to ovarian cancer in 2017, as a family we have first-hand experience of the awful loss that comes with this terrible disease,” Winslet said in support of the campaign. “Early screening and further research is invaluable. Raising awareness as well as funds, becomes immediately empowering to women and girls, whilst at the same time giving genuine hope for a brighter future and cancer free lives.”

In addition to helping campaigns, Winslet has also personally been there for women battling with ovarian cancer. Single mother Gemma Nuttall was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer while carrying her child, and when Winslet heard about Nuttall’s battle with the disease, she teamed up with former co-star Leonardo DiCaprio to raise $1.3 million for Nuttall’s fundraiser to help her treatment.

Ovarian cancer survivor Terri Moore encourages women to be open about what you need during treatment

Promising Advancements In Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Thanks to modern research, new treatment options are available to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. One of these new recent options are PARP Inhibitors, which is particularly effective for women who carry a BRCA genetic mutation.

PARP inhibitors target a specific enzyme and help prevent the cancer cells' ability to repair themselves and replicate.  Patients with ovarian cancer who might benefit the most from PARP inhibitors typically carry the BRCA mutation, which is linked to ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer. Recent studies suggest that using PARP inhibitors either as first-line treatment, maintenance therapy, or both, significantly extends the length of time patients are cancer-free or how their cancer worsens.

Related: Ovarian Cancer, PARP Inhibitors and Nausea

Dr. Lynn P. Parker explains why PARP Inhibitors are showing immense promise in ovarian cancer treatment

The findings from these studies have led to new and exciting PARP Inhibitor approvals from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  specifically olaparib (Lynparza) and niraparib (Zejula).

Niraparib was initially approved by the FDA for women with the BRCA mutation whose disease had recurred, but the approval has now expanded to be a frontline maintenance therapy for women after a full or partial response to chemotherapy. Olaparib has been approved in combination with a drug called bevacizumab as frontline maintenance for any women who test positive for something called Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) in addition to women carrying a BRCA mutation.

Related: Ovarian Cancer Treatment: PARP Inhibitors and Bevacizumab

Maintenance therapy is administered after initial treatment for ovarian cancer with the goal of preventing or delaying recurrence. Due to both these drugs being approved as first-line maintenance treatment for women without a BRCA mutation shows enormous promise for a large amount of women battling ovarian cancer.

Dr. Heidi Gray breaks down recent PARP Inhibitor approvals for ovarian cancer treatment

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