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Dr. Barua is an assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. One of his major research goals is to enhance the resolution of traditional ultrasound imaging to improve the detection of ovarian cancer in early stages. Dr. Barua credits the Foundation with helping him work towards this goal and “to establish [his] career in the field.”

Q3. How did receiving a Prevent Cancer Foundation grant impact your research?

Animesh Barua, PhD

The grant from the Prevent Cancer Foundation funded the first systematic study to establish a combined method of non-invasive imaging and blood testing for the detection of early-stage ovarian tumor-related blood vessels. The study showed that contrast -enhanced TVUS imaging in association with serum levels of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)can detect OVCA at  early stages. Having shown that a contrast agent can enhance the visualization of ovarian tumor-related vascular network to detect early-stage OVCA, we have demonstrated the feasibility of a clinical study to establish an early-detection test based on serum VEGF levels and contrast-enhanced TVUS imaging.

The information generated from the project funded by the Foundation helped me to obtain further funding from federal agencies including National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense). With this additional funding, I am now continuing the work to establish contrast-enhanced targeted TVUS imaging for the detection of ovarian tumors directly in a non-invasive method.

Q4. Why it is important to fund research in the field of cancer prevention and early detection?

Cancer is a chronic disease which takes life prematurely and also reduces its quality. Strengthening ways to prevent cancer or detect it early helps to reduce the number of people affected by the disease. For OVCA as well as other cancers, it is essential that we understand the mechanisms of early disease so that we can effectively detect it early. Accomplishing this will take continued funding of prevention and early detection research.

1. What led you to the field of ovarian cancer research?

In my childhood, I saw one of my relatives die young after suffering for months with a disease that caused excruciating pain. At that time I was told she was suffering from cancer. Later on, I understood that she had ovarian cancer (OVCA) for which there is neither an accurate early-detection test nor a cure. This event has had an impact on my choice to pursue a career in biomedical research.

Animesh Barua, PhD

Later, during my graduate studies on the endocrine-immune regulation of ovarian functions in laying hens, I observed that several hens in my study developed OVCA spontaneously. I then gathered information on OVCA in humans, and I found that it is an aggressive gynecological cancer usually diagnosed in late stages and associated with a high rate of mortality. Currently, there is no effective test for early detection, and the symptoms of early OVCA are non-specific; however, the rate of survival is remarkably high when OVCA is detected early.

Challenges in studying changes associated with early stages of OVCA make it difficult to develop an effective early-detection test. Literature on OVCA shows how hard it is to establish an accurate test and to develop effective therapies without an animal model of spontaneous OVCA. Commonly used rodent models do not develop OVCA spontaneously, and observations from induced OVCA in rodents are difficult to translate into clinical use. Together with my childhood memories, deciding to meet the challenge to develop effective early detection of OVCA has brought me to the field of ovarian cancer research.

2.  Tell us about your research to establish an early detection method for ovarian cancer based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging.

Currently, serum levels of CA-125 (cancer antigen 125, a protein in blood) and traditional ultrasound (TVUS) imaging are used to diagnose OVCA. Due to its lack of sensitivity, particularly for detecting early stage OVCA and its lack of specificity, especially in premenopausal women, serum levels of CA-125 often give false positive results for OVCA, leading to further screening or unnecessary surgery. On the other hand, a false negative from CA-125 testing may keep patients from getting needed treatment. TVUS imaging detects solid tumor masses in the ovary and their associated vascular architecture (network of blood vessels). However, with the current limits to imaging resolution, TVUS is unable to detect smaller tissue masses or blood vessels in the ovary associated with early stage OVCA. Thus, enhancing the resolution of TVUS imaging is a way to improve the detection of OVCA in early stages.

Contrast agents are chemicals developed to enhance the visualization of blood vessels by TVUS imaging. Using contrast agents, we are working to establish a combined non-invasive imaging and blood test method for the detection of early-stage OVCA-related blood vessels in ovarian neoangiogenesis.

Check back next week for Part II of Dr. Barua’s Researcher Q&A!

I have always been healthy. At the ripe old age of 57 I had never spent a night in a hospital and never had an abnormal pelvic exam. I did suffer from fatigue and constipation, and the related bloating, but what woman my age doesn’t suffer from these things?

Ovarian cancer is a stealth killer. Its symptoms are similar in type and scope to other less serious conditions. These symptoms include abdominal swelling or bloating, pelvic pressure or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and/or having to urinate urgently or often. If you have any of these symptoms and they persist for a few weeks—see your gynocologist. There is no screening test for ovarian cancer. What saved me was knowing what was normal for me and what wasn’t. What wasn’t normal for me was a persistent pain in the right side of my lower abdomen. It could have been appendicitis, but wasn’t.

Since my surgery I have had a PET scan that showed a soft tissue nodule in my lower right abdomen. Chemotherapy started April 19. Hopefully the chemo has eradicated the nodule. I can laugh and I can cry. I cry because of the horrible side effects that come with chemo. I laugh because with every horrible side effect I know its working. My eyebrows started growing which caused severe anxiety. Was the chemo working? Of course it is. I only have to look at my miserable blood levels.  I have one more treatment to get through. Beyond that I don’t know what’s next other than living the rest of my life to its fullest.

According to the American Cancer Society about 21,990 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2011.  Of those women, 15,460 will die from the disease. Early detection is critical to survival rates. Because there is no test for ovarian cancer, knowing what’s normal for you and what’s not is critical.

Editor’s Note: Elyse Galik is the President, founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Communicate By Design, Inc. of Sterling, Va. She is a talented designer and gifted communicator who specializes in using her experience as a training and marketing professional to help organizations enhance both their internal and external  communications.

Shannon competing at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Reflecting on the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta may bring back memories of the “Magnificent 7,” the tiny but powerful U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team who captured gold for the U.S. in the team competition for the first time in history. It was during those Olympics that Miller also became the first American to ever win the balance beam event. Recalling the moment of landing her gold-medal winning routine in Atlanta, she smiles, remembering that, “I just wanted to live in that one moment. It was perfect.”

Fast-forward 15 years later. Miller can be found running her own health and fitness lifestyle company, Shannon Miller Lifestyle, while also caring for her husband and two-year-old son, Rocco. From writing books to hosting her own radio show, Miller is a busy full time career-woman, wife and mother.  However, one doctor’s appointment last December turned her already hectic life upside down when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“I was really busy and thinking about putting off that appointment. But that day, there was this little voice in my head, telling me not to reschedule,” said Miller. It was at that appointment the doctor found a baseball-sized cyst on one of her ovaries. She was later diagnosed with a malignant germ-cell tumor, a less common form of ovarian cancer that is often found in young women under the age of 30. Miller had no family history of ovarian cancer, and physically, felt at the top of her game.

“There isn’t a particular test or screening for ovarian cancer, and it’s a silent killer because there are often no symptoms until it’s too late,” said Miller. Now, she is a vocal public advocate for early detection, urging women of all ages to make their health a priority.

“Do not delay. Do not reschedule. Early detection saves lives. It’s so important to educate yourself and be aware of the signs and symptoms,” said Miller. Had she waited a few more months or put off her regular appointment until the following year, the outcome of her diagnosis could have been a completely different story.

Shannon with her son Rocco.

“Cancer doesn’t care how many gold medals you’ve won, your age, who you are or where you’re from. It doesn’t discriminate,” said Miller. She emphasized the importance of being in tune with your body, and knowing what feels normal and when something “feels off”. Despite the surgery and chemotherapy, Miller’s doctors are still optimistic about her chances of being able to have children again someday. They caught the cancer early, and since Miller is young and otherwise healthy, her chances of recovery are much higher.

Miller blogs weekly, openly sharing her experience of undergoing chemo, hoping to provide support and awareness to others. She even posted a video of having her head shaved. As a celebrity and a decorated Olympian, Miller felt that it was her responsibility to use her resources to bring light to the ovarian cancer cause.

Most importantly, she hopes to spread the word to all women that regular exams and early detection are essential. “I feel that because women are caretakers, we tend to put work, family and everything else first, and ourselves last. One or two hours in the doctor’s office can save your life.”

And although ovarian cancer affects only women, she does have a message for the men out there: “Every man has a mother, a sister, a wife, some woman in his life that he loves. He can make sure that the women in his life are taking care of themselves, and ensure that they make their health a priority. Men can help send the message to women that their health matters.”

Follow Shannon’s journey on her blog at www.shannonmillerlifestyle.com

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