Approved research

The role of polygenic risk scores in ovarian cancer survival across the risk spectrum

Lay summary

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and has a 5-year survival rate of 46%. Research has suggested possible survival differences between women with and without mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Being able to provide women with ovarian cancer with a more accurate prognosis is necessary for accurate treatment and clinical decision-making. Our research aims to explain differences in ovarian cancer recurrence and survival for women at high and average risk. Specifically, we will examine differences in ovarian tumor characteristics for women with and without a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. We will then examine differences in the timing of ovarian cancer recurrence and survival between women with and without mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. We will also evaluate other common, low-risk genes and their role in ovarian cancer recurrence and survival. Lastly, we will determine whether the association between these common, low-risk genes and ovarian cancer recurrence and survival differs for women at high and average risk. We are proposing up to two years to conduct this research, including data analysis, presentation of findings, and manuscript preparation. This research will enhance our understanding of factors associated with ovarian cancer recurrence and survival for optimal clinical decision-making and will support additional research looking at the role of biological markers in tumor tissue and blood in ovarian cancer recurrence and survival.