Actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kate Mara used their considerable star power to help raise funds for ovarian cancer research Wednesday night as hosts of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance’s Style Lab annual benefit.
Other stars contributed, too, though not all in person. The evening’s highlight was its Shop My Closet: Celebrity Collection auction, which runs through Sunday, featuring one-of-a-kind items like a Georgette sequined gown worn by Oprah and a Salvatore Ferragamo suit worn by Julia Roberts.
Read MoreGyllenhaal, currently in the HBO series “The Deuce,” shared a personal connection to the cause on Instagram. The actor wrote, “One of my dearest friends lost her mother to ovarian cancer. In honor of them both, I was proud to host #OCRAStyleLab to benefit @ocrahope, in honor of all those who are fighting this disease.”
SurvivorNet Resources for the Ovarian Cancer Community
- Ovarian Cancer: What Are The Symptoms And Warning Signs?
- Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Surgery or Chemotherapy First?
- Options & Hope– Why Ovarian Cancer Patients Need Genetic Testing
- PARP Inhibitors For Ovarian Cancer
- Digital Guide: Living With Ovarian Cancer
- Sex After Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Solutions for Patients
Ovarian Cancer Is Difficult to Diagnose
This year alone, it’s estimated that over 22,530 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and nearly 14,000 women will die from the disease. Although the rates of ovarian cancer deaths in the U.S. have been falling steadily over the last decade, the cancer is still the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system.
Part of the reason is because the symptoms of the disease are non-specific. Cramps, bloating, changes in bowel habits and sudden weight loss are all associated with other conditions, making it easy to miss ovarian cancer initially. What’s more, there are no consistently effective screening methods for the disease.
RELATED: "Research is the Reason Women Are Surviving"
“We think of a mammogram to find early breast cancer, a pap smear or HPV testing to find early cervical cancer, but we don’t have a similar test yet for ovarian cancer at least not in the general population,” Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif., told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation about screening for ovarian cancer. “Finding an early detection method for ovarian cancer is really like the holy grail. When we find ovarian cancer early, it’s curable in over 90% of the cases.”
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RELATED: Why Is Ovarian Cancer Detected So Late?
Researchers are currently trying to find that “holy grail.” But research requires funding — a lot of it.
In SurvivorNet conversations with ovarian cancer survivors, many express disappointment with the relative lack of funding. Noelle Kouris, for instance, an ovarian cancer survivor diagnosed with the disease at age 34, previously told SurvivorNet, “Who is to say that one cancer deserves more? … It was heartbreaking to see how little it's supported by the larger media, which ultimately helps non-profit funding.”
Kouris added, "As far as cancers that have a 'stigma' around them not receiving a lot of funding, well, that's just absurd. Cancer is cancer, no matter the type, all should receive fair funding to support research, cures, etc. Every single person's life is valuable and to lose one to the disease is a travesty."
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