About the SPORE Program
General information about the SPORE program
Information for Applicants
Information for researchers interested in applying for the SPORE program.
IntraSPORE Communications
(access restricted to SPORE investigators)
[ SPOREs: Brain | Breast | GI | Genitourinary (GU) | Head and Neck | Lung | Lymphoma | Ovarian | Prostate | Skin ]
Ovarian SPOREs
Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer in women, but ranks first (above cervical cancer) in cancer deaths. Approximately 23,100 new ovarian cancers were diagnosed in the United States in the year 2000 and about 14,000 women died from this disease. The high mortality rate stems from an overall lack of early symptoms or screening methods for the disease. As a result, most ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced stage disease. Women with a family history of either breast, ovarian, or non-polyposis colon cancer are at an increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. The Ovarian Cancer SPORE program was initiated in 1999 with the funding of four sites. The relatively low incidence of this disease (as compared to other cancers, such as breast cancer), as well as the team concept of the SPORE program, has encouraged a number of Inter-SPORE collaborations aimed at developing much needed prognostic, screening, prevention, and therapeutic tools for ovarian cancer. Additional solicitations for Ovarian Cancer SPOREs are planned in the years 2003, 2004, and 2005.
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