Ovarian cancer is a serious medical condition that affects the ovaries and can spread to the rest of the body if left untreated. Treatments for the disease are varied, and new medical breakthroughs related to this condition are still being developed. However, because the disease has no screening process, most patients do not get diagnosed until they have reached the latter stages of the illness.
Earliest References to Cancer
Cancer has likely existed for as long as the human race. The earliest references to cancer date back to ancient Egypt, written sometime between 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE. Seven papyri have been found that describe cancers of the breast, as well as other tumors. The Egyptians knew that they could not cure cancer, so they advocated cauterization of surface tumors. The ancient Egyptian understanding of cancer was quite advanced: there is evidence that they could tell the difference between malignant and benign tumors, according to Medicine World. Cancers of the uterus and other female reproductive cancers were treated by applying poultices of barley, pig's ear and other herbs.
Standards of Modern Treatment in the Late 20th Century
The primary method of treating ovarian cancer over the past several decades has been chemotherapy. Combinations of cisplatin and an alkylating agent were also a popular treatment in the 1980s. This method of treatment was found to be harsh for many patients, and in the 1990s paclitaxel was used in combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin to treat the cancer.
John Hopkins Hospital
The Gynecologic Pathology Laboratory at Johns Hopkins Hospital is a major American institution that has contributed to the study of female reproductive cancers. The laboratory was founded by Dr. Thomas Cullen in 1893. Cullen was an important figure, and was the first to make diagnoses after examining tissue under a microscope. He went on to write several textbooks on the subject of gynecologic pathology that were considered standards in the United States.
The Puzzle of the Mummy
Not all ovarian tumors are life-threatening. For decades, an Egyptian mummy autopsied in 1825 was thought to have died from ovarian cancer after a tumor was found in her ovaries. However, when scientists revisited the autopsy records in the first decade of the 21st century, it was determined that the tumor, which was benign, did not kill the mummified woman. Instead, it was determined that she died of tuberculosis.
The Role of Genetics
Recent studies have confirmed that genetics plays an important role in determining the likelihood that a patient will develop ovarian cancer. In 2007, a Japanese study noted that the expression of RCAS1, a biomarker antigen expressed by certain cells, is linked with ovarian cancer as well as other maladies. The authors of the study concluded that the presence of RCAS1 may be able to predict results of treatment.
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