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Aug 21, 2002 Ovarian cancer is particularly difficult to detect at an early stage. By the time it’s typically diagnosed, the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries to other parts of the body, a fact that makes it one of the more deadly cancers. Currently, more than 80 percent of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed at a late stage, and they have only a 20 percent or lower chance of surviving for five years. Women who are diagnosed with early-stage disease, on the other hand have an excellent prognosis, with over 95 percent living five years or more. Researchers are confident that if they were able to find a way to diagnose ovarian cancer earlier, the survival rate for this disease would increase dramatically. This is why a great deal of research has been directed toward developing a simple, noninvasive screening test. Tandra Chaudhuri, Ph.D., associate professor of radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, may have found a method to diagnose ovarian cancer before it’s too late - using a jellyfish gene! Dr. Chaudhuri and her colleagues have figured out a way to program the gene that makes certain marine jellyfish glow green to glow only when introduced to ovarian cancer cells. The gene gets introduced by being attached to a virus that is otherwise harmless but has been genetically programmed to infect ovarian cancer cells. When the virus enters a cancer cell, the cell turns on the jellyfish gene and glows green. "The glow," Dr. Chaudhuri explains, "is bright enough to be detected by a modified ultrasound or a special probe during a pelvic exam." If the test turns out to be safe and effective in human trials, it may be available within the next five years. ------------ Teresa Cook is the official "home" columnist for Useless-Knowledge.com. Teresa is a 25 year old homemaker who lives in Idaho. She is married and has two children. Email Teresa: tdcook92@hotmail.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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