Early blood changes and treatment-related leukemia risk after ovarian cancer
Official title: Clonal hematopoiesis and therapy-emergent myeloid neoplasms in patients with ovarian cancer
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11324965 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows ovarian cancer survivors to look for early blood cell changes that can lead to treatment-related leukemia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $648,957 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA272594-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324965 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are ovarian cancer survivors who have received chemotherapy and/or long-term PARP inhibitor maintenance, including those with known BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of ovarian cancer or those who already have a diagnosed blood cancer are unlikely to benefit from this project’s prevention-focused work.
What this research studies
If you survived ovarian cancer, researchers plan to enroll about 2,000 survivors and collect blood samples and treatment histories. They will use genetic sequencing of blood cells to look for clonal hematopoiesis and mutations such as BRCA1/BRCA2 and TP53 that may grow after chemo or long-term PARP inhibitor use. The team will link those findings to each person’s chemotherapy and maintenance therapy exposure and follow participants over time to see who develops therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. The goal is to identify patterns and timing of risk that could guide safer treatment choices or early prevention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify people at high risk for treatment-related leukemia earlier and guide safer therapy or early prevention steps.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research in other cancer survivor groups has shown that clonal hematopoiesis can predict therapy-related blood cancers, but applying this approach specifically to ovarian cancer and long PARP use is newer.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Swisher, Elizabeth Mary — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Swisher, Elizabeth Mary
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Treating bone marrow cancers linked to PARP inhibitor use in ovarian cancer survivors
Researchers are developing new drug strategies to treat aggressive bone marrow cancers that can occur after PARP inhibitor therapy in ovarian cancer survivors.
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Improving treatment for blood cancers in ovarian cancer survivors
This study is looking for better treatment options for ovarian cancer patients who develop serious blood disorders after using certain medications, especially those with a specific gene mutation that makes standard treatments less effective, so they can live longer and feel better.
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Investigating blood disorders in ovarian cancer survivors
This study is looking at how treatments for ovarian cancer might cause blood disorders later on, and it's for ovarian cancer survivors who want to help researchers find ways to prevent these issues and improve future treatments.
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Understanding the experience of ovarian cancer after diagnosis to improve survivorship
This NIH grant funds a mixed-methods study to better understand physical and emotional challenges faced by ovarian cancer survivors and how supportive care can help them live better after diagnosis.
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Targeting quiescent ovarian cancer cells to overcome chemotherapy resistance
A study focusing on why some ovarian cancer cells pause dividing and resist chemotherapy, with the goal of finding new treatment targets for relapsed disease.
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Photodynamic lipids to boost chemotherapy for metastatic ovarian cancer
A patient-friendly approach tests a light-activated method to make ovarian cancer metastases more sensitive to chemotherapy.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.