September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month!
Although not originally recognized as a common “core” cancer in Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), ovarian cancers were documented (1) as subsequent tumors in patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome as early as 1988. And though still considered “rare” in LFS, reproductive cancers are highlighted in research.
In an August 2026 study by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, 7 of 20 women monitored with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) were diagnosed with aggressive tumors, including ovarian cancers, uterine cancers, and leiomyosarcomas. Since LFS can trigger reproductive cancers, it is important for health care providers to recognize early precancerous lesions to best improve health outcomes in those with LFS.
During this month of Ovarian Cancer Awareness, please help spread the word about this often difficult to detect and diagnose cancer, and the increased risks for those with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
- Li, F. P., Fraumeni, J. F., Jr., Mulvihill, J. C., Blattner, W. A., Dreyfus, M. G., Tucker, M. A., & Miller, R. W. (1988). A cancer family syndrome in twenty-four kindreds. Cancer Research, 48(18), 5358–5362.
- Nishikawa, Y., Ceyhan-Birsoy, O., Selenica, P., Mandelker, D., & Chui, M. H. (2026). Gynecologic tumors and precursor lesions, including p53-aberrant atypical hyperplasia-like endometrial lesions, in Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Modern Pathology, 39(8), 101019.
