Ovarian cancer kills approximately 15 250 women annually in the United States. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, and of the patients who achieve remission, about 80% relapse 22 months later. “Many have several relapses and remissions until they succumb,” confirmed Catherine O’Flaherty, RN, BSN, an oncology nurse at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City. “Ovarian cancer has a 5-year 20% to 30% survival rate, despite a frequent remission rate. With vaccines offered to patients in remission, we hope to change those numbers and improve those numbers.”

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