Release Date: Immediate
Contact: Johanna Spangenberg, (703) 527-7424, [email protected]

30TH ANNUAL GATHERING OF GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGISTS
TO OFFER NEW MEDICAL RESEARCH FINDINGS

CHICAGO, IL -- New medical research findings in the diagnosis and treatment of women's reproductive cancers will take center stage at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO), being held at the Hyatt Regency in Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA, on March 20-24, 1999.

The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) is a non-profit, international professional society of obstetricians-gynecologists who diagnose and treat cancers of the ovaries, uterus, cervix vagina, vulva, and fallopian tubes. The organization's members are trained in all the effective forms of gynecologic cancer treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and experimental treatments) as well as the biology and pathology of gynecologic cancers.

The San Francisco gathering offers the organizations' 900 members the opportunity to attend instructional seminars, view poster displays, and attend presentations featuring new scientific research. Among the research findings presented at this year's meeting are:

Cisplatin, 5-Fluorouracil Plus Radiation Therapy are Superior to Radiation Therapy as Adjunctive Therapy in High-risk, Early-stage Carcinoma of the Cervix after Radical Hysterectomy and Pelvic Lymphadenectomy: Report of a Phase III Inter-Group Study: Pelvic radiation therapy has been the standard of care for treating early-stage, high-risk patients with cervical carcinoma. Gynecologic oncologists from across the nation have participated in a patient-study to determine the effectiveness of adding chemotherapy to the treatment to increase survival rates for women with this deadly disease.

Depression May Worsen Quality of Life in Patients with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Battling epithelial ovarian cancer takes a physical toll on any woman diagnosed with this deadly disease. Many do not realize that accompanying depression may impede treatment and recovery.

A prospective study sponsored by the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston examines this issue.

A Population-Based Analysis of the Risk of Ovarian Cancer After Breast Cancer: Cancer specialists believe that factors that influence the onset of malignant breast cancer are similar to those associated with the causes of ovarian cancer. Now, University of California-Irvine medical researchers have measured the risk of a woman incurring ovarian cancer after being diagnosed with malignant breast cancer. Their findings will aid women in determining whether they are at-risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Single Visit Cervical Cancer Prevention Program Offered on Sundays Through an Inner City Church. A Pilot Project: Los Angeles-based gynecologic oncologists established a program in a community inner-city church to offer cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment for women over 18. The results offer new ways for the physician community to implement cancer prevention initiatives for hard-to-reach patients.

Clinical and Pathologic Features of Hereditary Ovarian Cancers Associated with Germline Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2: Does ovarian cancer happen by chance or is it in the genes? New studies from New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center seek the unique features associated with BRCA1/2-linked ovarian cancers. The results provide new insight into a woman's genetic predisposition for having this deadly disease.

History of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists

In May, 1968, seven physician specialists met in Chicago to form the organizing committee to establish the nation's first medical society dedicated to advancing the process in the diagnosis and treatment of women's cancers. In January of the following year, 37 gynecologists-oncologists convened a session in Key Biscayne, Florida to establish the first rules that would govern the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, now celebrating its 30th anniversary.

In its three decades of existence, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists has grown to more than 900 members and continues to promote research and education about women's reproductive tract cancers among the medical community and public. Each year the organization gathers for its Annual Meeting where its members present and discuss research studies, clinical advances and new techniques, contributing to the ongoing efforts to find a cure for gynecologic cancers.

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(Editor's Note: To download a complete press release on each of these research findings and the history of the SGO, access www.sgo.org. Contact Johanna Spangenberg (703) 527-7424 for a hard copy of the release or for scheduling interviews.)