Broadway Star Valisia LeKae Debuts Ovarian Cancer PSA in Times Square

 “God has given me another role to play and like all my previous roles, I plan to go all in, only this time I plan to Win!” — Broadway star Valisia LeKae

Broadway star Valisia LeKae is a 2013 Tony Award nominee for “Best Actress in a Musical” for her performance as Diana Ross in “Motown: The Musical.”In addition to “Motown: The Musical,” LeKae has appeared on Broadway in “The Book of Mormon,” “Ragtime,” “110 in the Shade.” and “The Threepenny Opera.”

In possibly the most important role of her life, Valisia is a passionate ovarian cancer survivor, who wants to educate women of all ages about the importance of diagnosing and treating the disease in its early stages.

LeKae’s Ovarian Cancer Journey

Valisia’s ovarian cancer journey began in September 2013 when she was diagnosed with a supposedly benign cyst on her right ovary that was associated with endometriosis (called an “endometrioma“). Over a short period of time, LeKae’s cyst grew rapidly, and ultimately, it required surgical removal. Based upon a pathologist’s examination of the cyst that was removed from LeKae during surgery, she was diagnosed with ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) in December 2013.

In its purest form, OCCC is an aggressive form of epithelial ovarian cancer that is often chemoresistant. I learned this fact firsthand after my 26-year cousin, Elizabeth “Libby” Remick, lost her battle to OCCC in July 2008. This website is dedicated to Libby’s memory.

Valisia LeKae shared her ovarian cancer diagnosis publicly through her Facebook page with the stated intent to educate women of all ages about the disease, including those who have no family history of ovarian cancer:

“On, Nov 22, 2013, I had laparoscopic surgery to remove an endometrioma from my right ovary. A sample was taken from that endometrioma and on December 2, 2013, my pathology results reveled that I was positive for Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer. After receiving a second opinion it was confirmed by my Gynecologic Oncologist on Dec 9, 2013, that the diagnosis had been correct.

Per the advice of my doctor, I will need to have another surgery (unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) as well as chemotherapy. I am scheduled for Thursday (December 19, 2013 ) and chemotherapy soon thereafter.

‘Ovarian Cancer mainly develops in older women. About half of the women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 63 years or older. It is more common in white women that African-American women (Cancer.org).’

As a 34 year old, African American woman, I feel that it is important that I share my story in order to educate and encourage others about this disease and the fight against it.

2013 has been full of blessings, from being nominated for a prestigious Tony Award for my portrayal of “Diana Ross” in Motown The Musical as well as many other accolades. God has given me another role to play and like all my previous roles, I plan to go all in, only this time I plan to Win!”

On April 29, 2014, Valisia announced publicly on Twitter that her ovarian cancer was in complete remission (technically known as “no evidence of disease” or “N.E.D.”) by using the celebratory hashtag “#CANCERFREE.”

A year ago today I was Nom 4 @TheTonyAwards. In Dec I was diagnosed w/ #ovariancancer ! Today I received the news that I am #CANCERFREE !

— Valisia LeKae (@ValisiaLeKae) April 29, 2014

 

“Know Your Body, Know Your Risk” Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign and Public Service Announcement

Today, Ms. LeKae joined her gynecological oncologist David Fishman, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at The Mount Sinai Hospital, and Director and Founder of the Mount Sinai Ovarian Cancer Risk Assessment Program, and executives from Toshiba, for the debut of a 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) promoting Ovarian Cancer Awareness. The ovarian cancer PSA premiere was broadcasted this afternoon on the Toshiba Vision Screens located at 46th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City. The iconic Toshiba screens are located in Times Square.

Rising 400 feet above street level in the visually dynamic surroundings of colorful Times Square billboards, striking black and white portraits of the stunning Broadway performer (photographed by Peter Hapak) will be broadcast on the Toshiba Vision screens as part of a two-week Ovarian Cancer Awareness public service campaign,  entitled “Know Your Body, Know Your Risk.” The ovarian cancer PSA was produced by Spotco with assistance from the Mount Sinai Health System.

The Mount Sinai Ovarian Cancer Risk Assessment Program PSA will continue to broadcast every six minutes, 24-hours per day through May 15th.

“Dr. Fishman and the Mount Sinai team helped to save my life, so I want to give back by helping to educate and encourage others about this disease and the fight against it,” said Valisia LeKae.

While only the 11th most common cancer among U.S. women, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women. Ovarian cancer is the deadliest form of gynecologic cancer. In 2014, approximately 22,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 14,000 will die from the disease. To learn more about ovarian cancer, click here.

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank Valisia LeKae for using her celebrity to raise public awareness about the most lethal gynecologic cancer. Valisia’s ovarian cancer advocacy will certainly not garner her a Tony Award, but in the eyes of all ovarian cancer survivors and their family members, it represents not only a job well done, but a life well spent.

Sources:

• “Broadway Star Valisia LeKae To Debut Ovarian Cancer PSA,” LooktotheStars.org, May 1, 2014.

•  “Valisia LeKae Reveals Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis, Withdraws from Broadway’s MOTOWN THE MUSICAL,” Broadwayworld.com, December 17, 2013.

 

Two Studies Address Risk Reduction & Screening For BRCA 1/2 Gene Mutation Carriers

“Prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy – removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes–reduces the relative risk of breast cancer by approximately 50 percent and the risk of ovarian and fallopian tube cancer by approximately 80 percent in women who carry a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, researchers report in the January 13 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute …. Women at high risk of ovarian cancer due to a genetic predisposition may opt for either surveillance or prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (pBSO).  Main objective of our study was to determine the effectiveness of ovarian cancer screening in women with a BRCA1/2 mutation.  At this time,’ Dr. de Bock and colleagues advise, “prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy from age 35-40 for BRCA1 carriers and from age 40-45 for BRCA2 carriers is the only effective strategy, as it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 96% and may also protect against breast cancer with a risk reduction up to 53% when performed in premenopausal women.’ They add, ‘For women who still want to opt for screening, a more effective screening strategy needs to be designed.'”

Meta-analysis Confirms Value of Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy
for Women with BRCA Mutations

“Prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy – removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes–reduces the relative risk of breast cancer by approximately 50 percent and the risk of ovarian and fallopian tube cancer by approximately 80 percent in women who carry a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, researchers report in the January 13 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .  Previous studies have shown substantial reduction in the risks of breast and ovarian or fallopian tube cancers in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers following salpingo-oophorectomy. However, the magnitude of the benefit has been unclear.

To establish a more reliable estimate of the magnitude of the benefit, Timothy Rebbeck, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues analyzed the pooled results of 10 published studies.  They found that risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy was associated with a 79 percent relative reduction in ovarian and fallopian tube cancer risk and a 51 percent relative reduction in breast cancer risk in women who carried mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 . When the researchers analyzed the effect of the prophylactic surgery on BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers separately, they found a similar benefit for the two groups in terms of breast cancer risk, with a 53 percent risk reduction for each group. The groups were too small to be examined independently for gynecologic cancer risk. ‘In conclusion, the summary risk reduction estimates presented here confirm that BRCA1/2 mutation carriers who have been treated with [risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy] have a substantially reduced risk of both breast and ovarian cancer,’ the authors write. ‘However, residual cancer risk remains after surgery. Therefore, additional cancer risk reduction and screening strategies are required to maximally reduce cancer incidence and mortality in this high-risk population.’

In an accompanying editorial, Mark H. Greene, M.D., and Phuong L. Mai, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., commend Rebbeck and colleagues ‘ effort and review the steps the study authors took to develop the most precise estimates of risk reduction following prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy. The results ‘should benefit women who are trying to decide whether or not to undergo [risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy],’ the editorialists write. ‘We urge providers of cancer genetics counseling services to adopt the summary risk estimates developed by Rebbeck et al. as those most currently reliable when counseling BRCA mutation carriers.’

Contacts:
Article: Holly Auer, Holly.auer@uphs.upenn.edu ; 215-349-5659
Editorial: NCI Press Officers, ncipressofficers@mail.nih.gov ; 301-496-6641

Citations:
Article: Rebbeck T, et al. Meta-analysis of Risk Reduction Estimates Associated with Risk Reducing Salpingo-
Oophorectomy in BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation Carriers. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009;101: 80 – 87 .
Editorial: Greene M and Mai PL. What Have We Learned from Risk-Reducing Salpingo-oophorectomy? J Natl
Cancer Inst 2009;101: 7 – 71 .”

Quoted Source:  MEMO TO THE MEDIA -Meta-analysis Confirms Value of Risk-Reducing Salpingo-oophorectomy for Women with BRCA Mutations, JNCI  2009 101(2):69 (online Jan. 13, 2009).

Time to stop ovarian cancer screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers?

“Women at high risk of ovarian cancer due to a genetic predisposition may opt for either surveillance or prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (pBSO).  Main objective of our study was to determine the effectiveness of ovarian cancer screening in women with a BRCA1/2 mutation.

We evaluated 241 consecutive women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation who were enrolled in the surveillance program for hereditary ovarian cancer from September 1995 until May 2006 at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands. The ovarian cancer screening included annual pelvic examination, transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) and serum CA125 measurement. To evaluate the effectiveness of screening in diagnosing (early stage) ovarian cancer sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of pelvic examination, TVU and CA125 were calculated.

Three ovarian cancers were detected during the surveillance period; 1 prevalent cancer, 1 interval cancer and 1 screen-detected cancer, all in an advanced stage (FIGO stage IIIc).  A PPV of 20% was achieved for pelvic examination, 33% for TVU and 6% for CA125 estimation alone. The NPV were 99.4% for pelvic examination, 99.5% for TVU and 99.4% for CA125. All detected ovarian cancers were in an advanced stage, and sensitivities and positive predictive values of the screening modalities are low. Restricting the analyses to incident contacts that contained all 3 screening modalities did not substantially change the outcomes. Annual gynecological screening of women with a BRCA1/2 mutation to prevent advanced stage ovarian cancer is not effective.”

Citation:  Time to stop ovarian cancer screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers?, van der Velde NM, Mourits, MJ,  Arts HJ, et. al.; Int J Cancer 2008;Vol 124: Issue 4: 919-923.

Comment: “At this time,’ Dr. de Bock and colleagues advise, “prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy from age 35-40 for BRCA1 carriers and from age 40-45 for BRCA2 carriers is the only effective strategy, as it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 96% and may also protect against breast cancer with a risk reduction up to 53% when performed in premenopausal women.’ They add, ‘For women who still want to opt for screening, a more effective screening strategy needs to be designed.'” [Source:  Annual Screening for Ovarian Cancer in BRCA1/2 Carriers Deemed Ineffective, News Article, Cancerpage.com, Feb. 23, 2009.]