Understanding ovarian cancer

An opening discussion of contemporary management of this disease presents commentary on surgery and clinical trials: neoadjuvant, dose-dense, and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC}, as well as immunotherapy, vaccine therapy, emerging therapies. Then follow presentations on ovarian cancer pathology with illustrations, and its pathogenesis including some future research directions. A fourth chapter is devoted to methods of potential drug discovery utilizing a functional genomics approach, with gene expression microarray databases available in public data repositories such as Public Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO} and validation using immunohistochemistry or Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). The fifth chapter explores the psycho-social issues that may be encountered by an ovarian cancer patient, including commentary on pain, fertility, anxiety, depression, demoralization, caregiver burnout, and end-of-life. The final chapter represents a step out from mainstream medical practice and provides an exposition of the mind-body interaction and the powerful role of belief in the healing process, with discussions of the placebo effect, nocebo effect, and numerous research studies that demonstrate the tremendous influence of our beliefs on our bodies and well-being. The book is written in reader-friendly style and is suitable for anyone wishing to learn more about ovarian cancer, from medical students and housestaff, to practitioners, healthcare support staff (nurses, physician assistants), to medical researchers and scientists, and patients and interested laypersons wishing to further their knowledge of ovarian cancer. The book is also free to read under and Open Access license.

###

About The Editor:

Dr Tamara Kalir earned her Ph.D. degree from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and her M.D. degree from University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. She then completed an internship and residency in Pathology at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City. She has remained at Mount Sinai; first for a Fellowship year in gynecologic pathology, then as a staff gynecologic pathologist, where she has been in practice for the past twenty-eight years. She also serves as a consultant, Program Director, and Course Director respectively for colleagues, fellows and medical students. She has earned awards for teaching and been named among America’s best doctors and top pathologists. She has more than sixty publications in scientific literature to her credit.

Keywords:

Oncology, Ovarian cancer, Epithelial ovarian carcinoma, Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer, HIPEC-ovarian-cancer, Cancer vaccine therapy, cancer immunotherapy, Cancer canonical pathways, In silico analysis, Functional Genomics, Ingenuity pathway analysis, Genomic destabilization, Cancer-depression, Cancer-demoralization, caregiver burnout, High-grade serous carcinoma, STIC, placebo, effect, nocebo effect, Mind-body-connection, Belief-in-healing