Not These Ovaries Makes Its Mark at SGO 2026

Not These Ovaries, led by founder Emily Campbell, attended the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in San Juan, Puerto Rico in April 2026. Our team joined thousands of the world’s leading gynecologic oncologists, researchers, patient advocates, and clinicians at the field’s most important annual gathering.

The SGO Annual Meeting is the foremost scientific and educational event in gynecologic oncology, drawing more than 3,000 attendees worldwide each year. For Not These Ovaries — a nonprofit dedicated to funding research for low-grade serous ovarian cancer and borderline ovarian tumors, two of the most underresearched subtypes in women’s cancer — the meeting represented a critical opportunity to engage with the science and the community driving progress forward.

New Long-Term Data on a Landmark LGSOC Treatment

Among the week’s most significant presentations was new two-year follow-up data from Verastem Oncology on avutometinib and defactinib, the combination therapy approved for recurrent KRAS-mutated LGSOC.  

The updated analysis showed that patients who remained on the combination therapy continued to demonstrate durable responses, with outcomes consistent with the primary analysis conducted more than a year prior. More than half of patients with a KRAS mutation remained on therapy for over a year, as did roughly one-third of patients without a KRAS mutation. The safety profile remained stable, with no new signals emerging over the two-year follow-up period.

For a cancer subtype where chemotherapy response rates are historically low and treatment options have long been limited, two years of sustained benefit is a clinically meaningful milestone, one that strengthens the case for continued investment in LGSOC-specific research.

The LGSOC research momentum at SGO extended beyond the Verastem data. Dr. Vivek Podder, MD, Research Fellow in Gynecological Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center of Florida, presented findings from GOG-3026 during the Ovarian Cancer Trials Poster Tour. 

His exploratory analysis examined the impact of prior therapy, chemotherapy exposure, and age on outcomes in patients treated with ribociclib plus letrozole for recurrent low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. The research adds an important layer of nuance to how clinicians might think about patient selection and treatment sequencing for LGSOC. Not These Ovaries is proud to support the next generation of researchers doing this work.

Advocacy, Connection, and the Case for Community

Beyond the science, Emily also engaged directly with patients living with LGSOC and BOT, fellow advocates, and the clinicians and researchers on the front lines of gynecologic cancer care. 

Those exchanges underscore a core tenet of the Not These Ovaries mission: that alongside research funding, patients need access to community, information, and support systems that reflect the realities of their diagnosis.

LGSOC and BOT patients are frequently younger than the typical ovarian cancer patient, often face delayed or missed diagnoses, and are navigating a disease that remains poorly understood in many clinical settings. For these patients, a critical part of care is connecting with others who share their experience and understanding what an LGSOC diagnosis actually means, how to manage recurrence, and how to advocate effectively within the medical system.  

Looking Ahead

SGO 2026 reinforced the momentum building around LGSOC and BOT research, as well as the growing community of patients and advocates demanding better outcomes. Not These Ovaries remains committed to funding the research and clinical trials targeting these subtypes, and to ensuring that patients have the resources and community they need at every stage of their journey.