Our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms behind ovarian cancer, and the insight of the heterogeneity, has paved the way for personalized medicine. We need to continue the search for prognostic biomarkers in order to find new targeted therapies.
In addition, prognosis may dramatically be improved through prevention e.g. prophylactic surgery in germ-line mutation carriers. In comparison, the prognosis for women with breast- and endometrial cancer is in general very good and these women have a long life expectancy. A long-life living sometimes with treatment-related side-effects negatively impacting daily life activities.
Methods and impact
Our research program on ovarian cancer focus on evaluating new treatment strategies, identifying treatment predictive and prognostic markers for various subtypes of ovarian cancer (STROVA, ER-OV) and studying side-effects induced by prophylactic removal of the ovaries among premenopausal women carrying germ-line BRCA mutations (CABSOE).
In ovarian- and breast cancer we want to prevent long-lasting peripheral neurotoxicity following chemotherapy with taxanes, with our without carboplatin, and therefore try to identify clinical and genetic risk factors (Neurotox study).
In endometrial cancer we evaluate the performance of robotic-assisted surgery versus laparotomy in relation to lymph node yields, postoperative complications and economy (RASHEC study).
We also perform population-based register studies based on real world data from the Swedish Quality Registry for gynecologic cancer addressing questions such as treatment patterns, coherence to guidelines and prognostic markers (SweGCG e.g. TPOC study).
Research group
Neuropathy study
- Kristina Engvall, PhD student, Linköping University
- Henrik Green, co-supervisor
- Freddi Lewin, co-supervisor
SweGCG
ER-OV study
- Ebba Bagge, medical student
- Ulrica Beiron, pre-PhD
- Per Rosenberg, clinical supervisor
Research collaboration
CABSOE
- Prof Gillian Thomas, Toronto and Linköpings University
- Prof Preben Kjölhede, Linköpings University
- Elisabet Classon, PhD, Linköpings University
STROVA
- Sara Corvigno, PhD student, Karolinska Institutet
- Hanna Dahlstrand, main supervisor, Karolinska Institutet
- Arne Östman, co-supervisor, Karolinska Institutet
RASHEC
- Sara Salehi, PhD student, Karolinska Institutet
- Henrik Falconer, main supervisor, Karolinska Institutet
Clinical trials are performed in collaboration with Nordic Society of Gynecologic Cancer (NSGO), European Network of gynecologic Oncology Trial groups (ENGOT) and Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG).
