Meg Eckenroad: The Urgent Need for Ovarian Cancer Breakthroughs

Meg Eckenroad shared an article on LinkedIn:

”Innovation Stalled: The Urgent Need for Ovarian Cancer Breakthroughs.

I’ve witnessed firsthand the devasting impact of ovarian cancer. Despite significant strides in medical research, this disease continues to pose a formidable challenge.

My women’s healthcare career began at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology at a pivotal moment: the Department of Defense’s historic ovarian cancer funding commitment for the 1997 fiscal year. This was an exciting time to be in women’s healthcare. The DOD’s funding brought renewed focus to ovarian cancer, which had been relatively understudied compared to other cancers. This investment catalyzed groundbreaking research, leading to an improved understanding of the disease and more treatment options.

While this was an important step in the right direction, we desperately need more investment in combating this disease. Today’s reality is stark: ovarian cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death among women. In the U.S., an estimated 12,700 people will die from ovarian cancer this year. The 5-year survival rate in the U.S. for ovarian cancer is barely 50%—a sharp contrast to breast cancer’s 90%.

This reality is despite the many tireless efforts to drive research funding, led by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, innovators at many of our nation’s leading academic institutions, and congressional champions like Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, whose unwavering support for ovarian cancer research has spanned decades.

The disparate impact of ovarian cancer is primarily due to insufficient tools to detect the disease early. Often, ovarian cancer symptoms are vague and can be mistaken for other conditions. By the time ovarian cancer is diagnosed, it has frequently already spread, making treatment more challenging.

Underfunding and under-research of women’s health issues is a systemic problem—one that is all too clear in my daily work. I encounter countless technologies with the potential to save lives and significantly improve the quality of life for women across our nation. But far too many promising innovations are stuck on shelves, stalled by insufficient funding in both research and venture capital. Just imagine how many lives could have potentially been saved or significantly improved by technologies that already exist but aren’t available to us.

We must break down the barriers to innovation and advocate for increased investment in ovarian cancer research and development. I am hopeful that the next generation of women’s health leaders who are just beginning their careers will not know the burden of high-mortality ovarian cancer within their lifetimes.

Let’s do better. Because women deserve our investment.”

Meg Eckenroad shared an article on LinkedIn, adding:

”As we close out Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I want to share my thoughts on this deadly disease. Despite progress, the 5-year survival rate remains unacceptably low. To accelerate progress, we must significantly increase investment in research and innovation.”

Source: Meg Eckenroad/LinkedIn

Meg Eckenroad, Women’s Healthcare Executive, Global Market Access Expert, Patient Advocate and FemTech Visionary, is the MedTech Executive at Origyn Solutions. She also serves as Commercial Strategy Officer at Genevi and is the Principal of Accessum Strategies.