The Need for Ovarian Cancer Screening
- NASA successfully landed a spacecraft on the asteroid Bennyu in 2020, a seven-year mission that cost $1.16 billion, and yet there is still no screening test for ovarian cancer, a disease that affects 324,000 women annually, with a 17% five-year survival rate at stage four 10s.
- Ovarian cancer is a debilitating disease that is the fifth leading cause of death in women, with 70% of cases diagnosed at stages three and four, where treatment outcomes are poor, and women with a genetic disposition like BRCA mutation have a 40% chance of developing the disease 2m6s.
Understanding the Origin of Ovarian Cancer
- Research has shown that ovarian cancer does not originate from the ovaries, but rather from the fallopian tubes, with 80% of cases starting on the ends of the fallopian tubes, which have a high surface area and are prone to mutations caused by chemicals released during ovulation 4m37s.
- The fallopian tubes can be removed to prevent cancer, while leaving the ovaries in place, and studies have found that most of the fallopian tube is not analyzed when removed, highlighting the need for a rapid scanning instrument to detect precancer lesions 6m15s.
Prevention and Early Detection Opportunities
- The window of opportunity to treat and find precancer lesions is approximately 9 years before they start to spread, and researchers are working to develop an instrument that can rapidly scan the fallopian tube to look for these tiny lesions, with the goal of reducing cancer by 80% for women 8m30s.
- Dr. Becky Stone, a gynecological oncologist, emphasized the importance of preventing ovarian cancer, rather than just treating it, and noted that the current understanding of the biology of ovarian cancer formation is limited, making it essential to develop new technologies to scan the fallopian tubes 5m40s.
Challenges in Detection and Technological Solutions
- The problem of detecting ovarian cancer is likened to finding a needle in a haystack, as it involves scanning the entire fallopian tube to locate a lesion that is approximately 200 microns in size, and hyperspectral imaging is being used to rapidly scan the fallopian tube and collect data to feed into a deep learning model 10s.
- The research is being conducted using ex vivo samples from women who have undergone risk-reducing surgery and had their fallopian tubes removed, with 84 women scanned as of the last update, and the goal is to detect precancer lesions 1m4s.
- A custom-built instrument using near-infrared imaging is being used to scan the fallopian tubes, and the data is being used to build the largest optical database in the world of whole organs of fallopian tubes, allowing for scanning down to a single cell 2m6s.
Advancements in Scanning and AI Integration
- The research team is working with Antha and has developed its own AI chips to enable real-time scanning and provide information to pathologists, and the scanning time has been reduced from eight hours to under 15 minutes 3m23s.
- The samples received are still alive, allowing for the collection of cells and the building of mini organs in the lab, which can be used to study pathology, biology, and genetics, and test therapeutics 5m15s.
The Vision for Future Ovarian Cancer Screening
- Ovarian cancer is a devastating disease that affects one in 78 women, with rare and amorphous symptoms, and the mission is to develop a screen for ovarian cancer within the next five years, allowing women to have a screen for ovarian cancer alongside other routine checks 8m30s.
- Removing fallopian tubes instead of having them tied can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, and this procedure takes less than five additional minutes, and it is hoped that every woman will be able to have a screen for ovarian cancer in the future 10m45s.
Public Awareness and Campaign Efforts
- A public health campaign called "Outsmart Ovarian Cancer" is being promoted to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, with the goal of encouraging people to share the information with their loved ones 10s.
- The campaign aims to inform people that work is being done to develop a screening test for ovarian cancer, as well as to highlight the possibility of preventing the disease 10s.
- The overall message of the campaign is one of optimism, with the belief that it is possible to outsmart ovarian cancer through awareness and prevention efforts 10s.
