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Ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of gynecologic cancer deaths in women, and despite some success, novel treatments are still needed. The SHOC Foundation continues to move forward with raising funds for this type of research.
Over the last 20 years, we have worked together to find new ways to understand, prevent, and treat ovarian cancer. Your donations have provided crucial support to the Oregon Ovarian Cancer Registry (OOCR) established at OHSU in 2008, as well as your generous support that enabled us to obtain critical data for securing new grants to continue the research. The SHOC Foundation’s lifetime gift total since 2005 is now 1.4 MILLION DOLLARS. We feel both grateful and thankful to you for believing in the SHOC Foundation and what we are trying to do. We are also excited by the changes we would like to share with you. Together, change is happening!
In November 2023, after over 20 years at OHSU, our lead researcher, Dr. Tanja Pejovic, decided to move her practice to Medford, Oregon, at a hospital she “covered” on behalf of OHSU for 17 years. This decision was motivated by the gap that she saw first-hand in the care of women in Southern Oregon. These women have limited access to best practices and novel gynecological cancer clinical trials. Dr. Pejovic believes that her experience with this community positions her to make an impact far beyond what she can achieve with OHSU. This was not an easy decision, as it meant starting a completely new ovarian cancer research program at a community cancer center in Medford, where she has found a wonderful group of highly motivated people. Within a short span of seven months since she started in Medford, they are making significant progress.
Here are a few updates Dr. Pejovic wanted to share:
On July 18, 2024, the Gynecologic Cancer Registry and Repository was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Providence Cancer Center in Medford. The Data User Agreements have been put in place between Providence Medford, OHSU researchers, and OOCR regarding sharing the samples and scientific results. The projects which were started at OHSU have continued with our collaborators. Here are some examples: We know the chemotherapy in clear cell ovarian cancer modulates immune cells within/around the cancer and makes the cancer resistant to further chemotherapy. Therefore, we are investigating the role of immune modulation in clear cell ovarian cancer. All the data is at hand and we are currently analyzing this specific data. We are investigating a completely novel drug, a new drug that has never before been used or marketed, that can re-sensitize chemo-resistant ovarian cancer to chemotherapy again. Brain metastases are rare, but a serious complication in ovarian cancer. We have collected paired tumor samples from the ovary and from brain metastases from our surgeries and colleagues around the country. We have identified the cancer and immune pathways involved in the development of brain metastases and we are working on verifying these results. In Medford we are embarking on a new field of understanding the role of the community of gut bacteria (microbiome) in ovarian cancer initiation and response to treatment. This is an exciting area because of the increasing evidence that the gut microbiome shapes the ability of the immune system to respond to infection and cancer. These updates are so exciting to see grow from the ground up, and
the SHOC Foundation wants to be integral in assisting with these developments. Over the years, each of you have provided and sustained a reliable source of funding to achieve our mission and Dr. Pejovic’s objectives. Every dollar was invested in laboratory materials, analyses, and special genetic analyses services. Your investment is making an impact, not only today, but for the countless number of women with gynecologic cancers in the future. We are asking for your help to continue this fight to find better treatments to save the lives of women with ovarian cancer. Thank you for believing in the SHOC Foundation and Dr. Tanja Pejovic, and what we are trying to do. We cannot do this alone and need your help, support, and donations to make this happen. We will make a difference!
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Donor Spotlight
For the last seven years, Jim Kleiser has donated to the SHOC Foundation as a corporate sponsor. Click here to read the story of his wife Kati and why he is so passionate about his support of the SHOC Foundation and his continued mission to spread the word about ovarian cancer.
Jim Kleiser is the owner of Mr. Electric of Portland/Vancouver and Five Star Painting of Vancouver.
Spread the word about ovarian cancer and its silent symptoms.
• Abdominal bloating, swelling, pelvic pain, pressure or discomfort • Nausea, loss of appetite • Unusual fatigue • Abnormal vaginal bleeding • Unexplained weight gain or loss • Frequent urination, constipation or diarrhea Become a voice for the SHOC Foundation – spread the word about ovarian cancer, its symptoms and facts, by talking about it with the women in our lives. 
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No more hassle at the bottle return! SHOC is now a Featured Fundraiser with the Oregon BottleDrop, which means donating your bottles and cans to the cause just got a whole lot easier. Click here for more info...
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