According to the National Cancer Institute, nearly 20,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer — which encompasses the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the primary peritoneum — and over 13,000 are expected to die from the disease in 2023. Despite clinical guidelines advising against intensive or invasive end-of-life care, more than half of patients with terminal ovarian cancer will receive a least one aggressive intervention near the end of life — such as undergoing chemotherapy treatment, being admitted to the intensive care unit or being admitted to hospice at such times that, research shows, these interventions wouldn’t help prolong their life and would actually worsen their quality of life. Brittany Davidson, MD, addresses the best approach to patient goals, values and treatment expectations.

Duke Cancer Institute oncologists blaze the trail

By Julie Poucher Harbin, Duke Cancer Institute

In October 2022, gynecologic oncologists Brittany Davidson, MD; Haley Moss, MD, MBA; and Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MSc, participated in national-level events under the auspices of the White House Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The focus was on breast and gynecologic cancers.

By Alexis Porter, Duke Health News Office

Non-Hispanic Black patients are less likely to receive guideline-appropriate treatment for ovarian cancer than non-Hispanic white patients, significantly affecting their treatment quality and survival chances.

The study, appearing online in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, was led by Duke Health researchers Mary Katherine Anastasio, MD, a resident in Duke Ob/Gyn, and Tomi Akinyemiju, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences.

Learn more about the numbers behind the people, patients and research of Duke Ob/Gyn. Click here to download a pdf of Duke Ob/Gyn By the Numbers.

Read about Duke Ob/Gyn's newsmakers in 2023, including national awards, grants and research programs and featured publications.

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