As more and more people are successfully treated for and live longer with cancer, greater attention is being directed toward the survivorship needs of this population. Women treated for cancer often experience issues related to sexual health and intimacy, which are frequently cited as areas of concern, even among long-term survivors. Unfortunately, data suggest that providers infrequently discuss these issues. We reviewed a contemporary understanding of sexual health of women and the impact of treatment on both sexual function and intimacy.

Seminal advances in the treatment of cancer have been achieved because of drug development in ovarian cancer; notably the developments of platinums and taxanes. However, no new drug has been FDA approved for ovarian cancer since 2006, and the approval of an antiangiogenic agent for ovarian cancer in the US has stalled. Predicting the next breakthrough is a high risk and highly expensive venture. One of the most promising prospects is folate-receptor (FR)-targeted therapy, given the high expression in FR ovarian cancer. We review the development of vintafolide (EC145), a folic acid-desacetylvinblastine conjugate, the predictive utility of a FR-targeted imaging agent, technetium-(99)m-etarfolatide (EC20), the challenges in proving survival advantage, and other approaches to exploiting FR as a target in ovarian cancer.

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