Gynecologic Cancer

gynecologic cancer is cancer originating in the female reproductive organs.  It includes cancer of the cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, vagina and vulva.  Approximately half of the 80,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year are uterine cancer. The risk of getting cancer increases with age, and inherited gene mutations or a family history of cancer may increase the risk. Knowledge is Power: Visit Clinical Cancer Genetics to learn more.

At Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, our treatment team is dedicated to providing the best gynecologic cancer research and treatment.  With research and treatment areas under one roof, our physicians and researchers are better able to facilitate the translation of research advances to patient care.  Recent research advancements include:

• Being among the first nationwide to be certified to perform minimally invasive robotic surgery on patients with gynecologic cancer. Jeffrey Fowler, MD, and David E. Cohn, MD, are routinely using robotic instrumention to perform  hysterectomies and lymph node dissections for treating uterine cancer. Dr. Fowler is also performing radical hysterectomies and lymph node dissections for patients with cervical cancer. Robotics has been used in heart and prostate surgeries for years, but now the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved the minimally invasive technique for treatment of certain gynecological disorders.
• A new NCI-supported clinical trial conducted at the OSUCCC –  James and other centers indicates that women with advanced ovarian cancer can benefit from treatment with two chemotherapy drugs, each delivered in a different way, following surgery. The treatment delivers one drug into a vein and the other drug directly into the abdomen. The treatment can potentially extend the overall survival of women with advanced ovarian cancer by about a year. This trial reinforces findings from seven previous studies.
• A study by physicians at the OSUCCC  –  James and other institutions affiliated with the Gynecology Oncology Group to change the way paclitaxel is administered, making it easier to take and tolerate, but tougher on tumors.  Paclitaxel is the drug most commonly used to treat ovarian cancer.  Larry J. Copeland, MD, is overseeing the study at The James.
• A vaccine designed to target ovarian cancer blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) has been designed and is currently being tested for its ability to decrease ovarian cancer growth in the laboratory by David E. Cohn, MD.  This potential vaccine against ovarian cancer could be applied to patients in phase I clinical trials following further preclinical study.  
• A five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to OSUCCC investigators to address cancer issues among underserved populations.  It has been used to form a Center for Population Health and Health Disparities initially focusing on understanding why high rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are observed in Appalachian Ohio, a predominantly rural area in the southern and eastern parts of the state.  David E. Cohn, MD, is the co-investigator from the Division of GYN Oncology for this study at The James.
• A study suggesting that women with endometrial (uterine ) cancer should be screened for mutations for Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that carries a high risk for colon, uterine, ovarian and gastric cancers.