I try find ways to improve the fate of the 2,600 Canadian women who are newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year.

My role as an ovarian cancer researcher is to ultimately find ways to improve the fate of the 2,600 Canadian women who are newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. My laboratory does that by performing studies that increase our understanding of what ovarian cancer is, how it starts, how it progresses and how best to stop it. The research projects that are most active in my lab right now include the testing of new cancer treatments, including oncolytic viruses, the investigation of the earliest events when ovarian cancer begins, and the role of stem cells in the development of ovarian cancer – all projects aimed at developing strategies for prevention, early detection and effective treatment of ovarian cancer. At the moment, we are very excited about recent experiments that are showing how estrogen promotes the risk of ovarian cancer. We know that the use of oral contraceptives reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, but estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy increases the risk, and our research is beginning to explain why. Perhaps more than most scientists, I am acutely aware of the importance of community support for what I do. I hold an endowed chair that was established because one man took on the responsibility of ensuring that no woman would have to suffer the fate of his wife, Corinne, who survived breast cancer, and then melanoma, and then died from ovarian cancer. I would not be doing my job as the Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research if I did not tell you something about this deadly disease. Every woman knows about breast cancer, but a recent survey found that 12% of Canadian women had never even heard of ovarian cancer.
There is no reliable method to screen for ovarian cancer. Almost 70% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die of it, most within 3-4 years. And 96% of women cannot identify the combination of symptoms that are associated with ovarian cancer. They are:
• Abdominal bloating or discomfort
• Changes in bowel function
• More frequent urination
• Unexplained weight gain
• Nausea
Changes in menstrual patterns If any of these symptoms persists for more than three weeks, see your physician, and raise the possibility of an investigation for ovarian cancer.