WHO: Beth Y. Karlan, MD, director of the Women’s Cancer Program and Gynecologic Oncology at Cedars-Sinai’s Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, is available for interviews to discuss a new study that shows many ovarian cancer patients don’t get the expert care and new treatments that could help them survive.

Karlan serves on the National Cancer Advisory Board and is editor-in-chief of Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology Case Reports. She has written more than 200 peer reviewed articles, and has served as the president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and in gynecologic oncology.

WHAT: The study, released recently at a meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, showed that 35 percent of ovarian cancer patients survived five years if their care met the guidelines set by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a group of 21 major cancer centers that recommends treatments based on research. Just 25 percent of ovarian patients survived five years if they received their care from less-experienced doctors and hospitals that do not offer leading edge treatments or have extensive experience in treating gynecologic cancer. WHY: “Where you go for treatment and the experience your doctor has treating ovarian cancer clearly makes a difference in ovarian cancer survival and survivorship. Most ovarian cancer isn’t discovered until it reaches Stage 3 or Stage 4 because the symptoms can be subtle,” Karlan said. “The latest treatments and the intricate surgical expertise necessary to effectively treat the disease simply are not available unless you go to an experienced specialist, most frequently a board-certified gynecologic oncologist. This study shows that surgeons who operate on fewer than 10 ovarian cancer patients a year or hospitals that treat fewer than 20 ovarian cancer patients a year do not develop the proficiency that translates into better patient outcomes.”

At the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer is 46.7 percent, well above the national average of 32.8 percent. HOW: To arrange an interview, contact Cara Lasala at 310-423-7798 or [email protected] or contact Sally Stewart at 310-248-6566 or [email protected]. Cedars-Sinai is equipped with VideoLink’s ReadyCam camera, capable of instantly transmitting broadcast quality HD video directly to any network around the world.

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