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Evading Ovarian Cancer: Long Island University-Brooklyn Professor Shares Her Story

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Ovarian cancer is among the most elusive as well as one of the most lethal cancers for women in this country. It is usually silent until its later stages, when it kills over two-thirds of those diagnosed. Diana Klebanow, an adjunct professor of political science at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, gave little thought to these facts until she discovered that she was at high risk for the disease and was faced with an agonizing choice.

Her dilemma started by chance, after her sister was diagnosed with the disease at an early, treatable stage thanks to an unrelated medical procedure. The good news was that her sister’s prognosis was excellent. But Klebanow came to realize that she had to make a potentially life-or-death decision for herself about whether to have her ovaries removed.

“It was a problem I preferred not to face at the time,” admits Klebanow. Writing in a recent article, she describes her shock when she turned to her longtime gynecologist. “[H]e calmly advised me to have my ovaries removed – a procedure known as a prophylactic oophorectomy,” . It could be done by video laparoscopy. [It] usually takes about 70 minutes. …I started to feel numb.”

Her gynecologist, Dr. Carmel J. Cohen, happens to be an expert on ovarian cancer who founded the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and co-chairs the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. But that was not enough for Klebanow. Soon, the political science professor aimed her prodigious research skills at learning all she could about this threat, delving through medical journals, calling prominent hospitals and health organizations and contacting more doctors.

“This information became an obsession for me,” Klebanow recalls in a first-person account published this summer in USA Today: the Magazine of the American Scene, called, “Shaking Off the Shadow of Ovarian Cancer.” She shared her story, she explains, to help other women confront the threat of ovarian cancer.

Klebanow found that the exact causes of the cancer are unknown, but researchers have identified risk factors. They include being over the age of 50, not having had children, being of Eastern or Central European Jewish ethnicity, using fertility drugs, using talc in the genital area over a period of time, post-menopausal hormone therapy use, and, high on the list, having a first-degree relative, like a mother, daughter, sister, grandmother or aunt, who has had the disease.

The National Cancer Institute reports that ovarian cancer afflicts about one in every 57 women in the United States, where it is the fourth leading cause of women’s cancer death. Yet, screening tests are notoriously inadequate, and known symptoms, such as bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urgent or frequent urination, often are overlooked or thought to be symptoms of less serious conditions.

“I felt perfectly healthy and the thought of submitting to prophylactic surgery gave me pause,” writes Klebanow. She pondered choices such as genetic tests, which could show more about her level of risk, and special ultrasound and blood tests that could be done every six months. Then, she talked to another doctor. His opinion: “Ovarian cancer is too virulent a disease to depend on tests taken every several months.”

Klebanow opted for surgery. The morning after Dr. Cohen removed her ovaries, he stopped by her hospital room and said, “You made the right decision.” A biopsy showed abnormal cells in her ovaries, indicating that cancer likely would have developed within two to eight years.

“[T]he prophylactic oophorectomy may have saved my life,” Klebanow concluded. “I no longer needed to spend the rest of my life wondering if I would develop ovarian cancer. Amid the many uncertainties of life, I knew the answer to that question.”

More information about ovarian cancer and/or dealing with cancer is available from

Gilda’s Club Worldwide provides free cancer support for the whole family, including a resource directory. Gilda’s Club encourages a sense of "expertise" among members and emphasizes community-building, collective wisdom and shared experience.

www.Gildasclub.org/ 888-GILDA-4-U

Conversations: the International Newsletter for Those Fighting Ovarian Cancer, a free monthly newsletter providing hope, humor, support and information about treatment options and coping tips. Survivor-to-fighter matching service available.

www.ovarian-news.org/ (806) 355-2565

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition raises awareness about ovarian cancer and promotes education about the disease. They also offer support groups, a database of gynecologic oncologists searchable by state, and educational materials.

www.ovarian.org/ (888) OVARIAN (888-682-7426)

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance works to increase public and professional understanding of ovarian cancer and to advocate for research. The Alliance distributes materials and sponsors an annual advocacy conference for survivors and families.

www.ovariancancer.org/ (202) 331-1332

The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is dedicated to advancing research by underwriting investigations to find techniques for early detection and to aid in the development of new therapists. Raises awareness through educational outreach programs, awareness projects, including videos and resource materials.