(ovarian cancer) Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, Finds Juggling Research Projects and Clinical Care Improves Both

Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, Finds Juggling Research Projects and Clinical Care Improves Both - The ASCO Post


Life’s Work in Ovarian Cancer
Asked why she chose ovarian cancer as her life’s work, Dr. Swisher said: “One thing that attracted me to gynecologic cancers was that it’s the one specialty that we do both surgery and chemotherapy. Although I liked the surgical aspect, I wanted to follow my patients after surgery, during their whole journey. And I also love research, and ovarian cancer is the most deadly gynecologic cancer. So if you want to make a difference, it’s natural to be drawn to the most difficult-to-treat disease.”
She continued: “Getting back to my love of scientific puzzles. When I first began working in ovarian cancer, we didn’t even know how the disease started. We have good methods and clear understanding of the etiology of certain cancers, such as cervical, breast, and colon, but not in ovarian; consequently, the disease usually presents at a late stage. So my initial research centered on that clinical mystery, and we learned that most ovarian cancer does not begin in the ovaries but in the fallopian tubes.”