A genetic mutation appears to help survival rates in women who suffer from a common type of ovarian cancer, a new study released found.
The research appearing in the January edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed the mutations were found in 6% to 15% of women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).
Kelly Bolton of the National Cancer Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland and colleagues found that five-year overall survival was 36% for non-carriers of the gene mutations.
That compared to a 44% survival rate for mutations in the BRCA1 gene, and 52% in the BRCA2 gene, the research showed.
"BRCA1 carriers had a more favourable survival than non-carriers, which improved slightly after additional adjustment for stage, grade, histology, and age at diagnosis. BRCA2 carriers had a greater survival advantage compared with non-carriers, particularly after adjusting for other prognostic factors," the study found.
The study carried out a pooled analysis of 26 observational studies on ovarian cancer survival rates.
"Our study results have potentially important implications for the clinical management of patients with EOC. Most immediately, our findings can be used by health care professionals for patient counselling regarding expected survival," the authors said.
(Sapa, January 2012)
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