National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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NCCN Updates Ovarian Cancer Guidelines

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., February 26, 2008 — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is pleased to announce several new updates to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ Ovarian Cancer. These changes highlight leading developments in the treatment of ovarian cancer and represent the recognized standard for clinical care in oncology in both the community and the academic practice settings.

Patients with ovarian cancer were once thought to exhibit no symptoms during the early stage of the disease. But recent studies have shown that a specific set of symptoms are more common in women with ovarian cancer than women in the general population. This early-symptom list, collected and codified by the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, has been incorporated into the NCCN Ovarian Cancer Guidelines. Symptoms suggestive of ovarian cancer include: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urinary symptoms such as urgency or frequency. Awareness of the possible significance of these symptoms may enable earlier identification of women with ovarian cancer, even those with early-stage cancer.

The other major update to these guidelines is that the treatment regimens for ovarian cancer, germ cell tumors and ovarian stromal tumors have been expanded to include new chemotherapeutic agents, to indicate which agents are preferred and to clarify which agents should be used for specific tumors.

For questions about NCCN or for interview information, please contact Megan Martin 215.690.0576.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. For more information, visit NCCN.org.

The NCCN Member Institutions are:

• City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center
  Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
• Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
• The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
• The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
• Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital / University of Tennessee Cancer Institute
• Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
• UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
• UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
• The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center