January 2015

2015 has certainly got off to an exciting start in oncology!

A few weeks ago, physicians and scientists from around the globe gathered in San Francisco for the 2014 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. Let's review some trends, since there were key devel­opments across the board.

Determination of BRCA1 and 2 mutation carrier status has become increasingly important. Estimates suggest that about 80% of breast cancers and 90% of ovarian cancers are sporadic; while only 5% to 10% of breast cancers are hereditary.

Approximately 22,000 women will be diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the United States in 2014, making it the nation's second most common gynecologic malignancy.1 The cancer, which often presents at an advanced stage, causes more deaths than any other type of gynecologic malignancy.