MEMPHIS, TN – September 14, 2009 – The West Clinic, the Mid-South’s leader in cancer care, announced today that it was one of 27 sites nationwide to participate in the multi-center OVA1™ Clinical Trial. On Friday, September 11, 2009, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the OVA1(TM) test that can help detect ovarian cancer in a pelvic mass that is already known to require surgery. OVA1 helps patients and health care professionals decide what type of surgery should be done and by whom. [FDA, 2009]

According to Joseph Santoso, MD, FACOG, The West Clinic-Site Principal Investigator, “This is very exciting news. The West Clinic in partnership with the Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network (ACORN) enrolled 96 patients in the study. Each year, thousands of women undergo unnecessary surgeries to determine if ovarian cysts could be ovarian cancer since surgery has been the only way to diagnose this dreaded cancer. We are hopeful that this new test will help to identify potential malignancies and save the lives of scores of women with ovarian cancer as well as reduce the high number of women undergoing unnecessary surgery to diagnose ovarian masses.”

“Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer,” Dr. Santoso continues. “Approximately 21,600 women in the United States are diagnosed with ovarian cancer annually, and an estimated 15,500 die of the disease. It is the most common cause of death among women with gynecologic cancers. It is a deadly cancer due to the fact that when the cancer is found, it is generally wide spread.”

OVA1™ uses a blood sample to test for levels of five proteins that change due to ovarian cancer. The test combines the five separate results into a single numerical score between 0 and 10 to indicate the likelihood that the pelvic mass is benign or malignant. [FDA, 2009]

OVA1™ was developed by Vermillion, Inc. headquartered in Fremont, California, in conjunction with researchers at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. [FDA, 2009]

Dr. Santoso is available for interview purposes. For additional information visit www.westclinic.com. To speak with Dr. Santoso, contact Deborah Coble, Director of Corporate Communications, 901-683-0055 x 1312.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] (September 11, 2009). “FDA Clears a Test for Ovarian Cancer: Test can help identify potential malignancies, guide surgical decisions.”http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm182057.htm. Press Release.

About The West Clinic
The West Clinic is the region’s premier provider of interdisciplinary cancer care with over 30 specialty providers in medical oncology, hematology, gynecologic oncology, diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiation oncology, endocrinology, rheumatology, pain & palliative care, internal medicine, and psychology.