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WHERE DOES YOUR DONATION GO?

At Jessica’s hope we believe the first step is to find a test. Currently there is no real test to detect Ovarian Cancer in the early stages. This is why Ovarian Cancer has a low survival rate. If DETECTED EARLY the survival rate is 85-90%.

100% of your donations go to researchers looking for a test. All other costs are covered by Realty Solutions, LLC/Portland,Oregon

We hope that someday a simple blood test will be as routine as a Mammogram.
Ovarian Cancer Institute

History

For the past eight years the Ovarian Cancer Institute has strived to understand why so many women are tragically stricken with ovarian cancer.  Did you know a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has only a twenty percent chance of living longer than five years?  Those are not very good chances.  Why in this age of modern medicine does ovarian cancer seem to be ignored?  It is called the silent killer for a reason.

Ovarian Cancer is extremely hard to detect.  There is currently no early diagnostic test for cancer of the ovary.  The current methods are less than perfect and must be used in combination (as well as not being covered by most insurance plans): a pelvic exam, a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood test called CA-125 which can often provide inaccurate results.

According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women (not counting skin cancer). It ranks fifth as the cause of cancer death in women.  It is estimated that there will be about 20,180 new cases of ovarian cancer in this country in 2006. 15,310 women will die this year because of the disease. Around two-thirds of women with ovarian cancer are 55 or older. It is slightly more common in white women that African-American women. 

And it is especially prevalent in women of Eastern European Jewish heritage.

With the discovery of 2 genes - BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 - scientists realized that certain women could be predisposed to breast cancer and ovarian cancer.  Researchers also discovered that these gene mutations are more common in Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish women.  Studies have indicated that 60 % of women with this gene will one day develop ovarian cancer.

The rate of ovarian cancer has gone down about 0.7% per year since 1985. A woman�s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 67. The risk of getting this cancer and dying from it is 1 in 95.

Founded in 1999 by Dr. Benedict Benigno, the Ovarian Cancer Institute (OCI) is dedicated to researching cancer of the ovaries.  Dr. Benigno, a gynecologic oncologist, has practiced in Atlanta, Georgia for more than 30 years, and along with his partners, sees more cases of ovarian cancer than any other private practice in the country.  The primary mission of the OCI is to develop innovative research leading to earlier detection and more effective treatment of ovarian cancer as well as to educate and heighten awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and treatment options.