(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If doctors had a better idea of which ovarian cancer patients are less likely to survive the disease, they could offer more intensive treatment to those who need it.

A new study out of The Netherlands might help uncover that information. Researchers there analyzed tissue samples taken from 157 women who had surgery for the cancer. The analysis linked 86 genes to overall survival, and a subsequent analysis confirmed that relationship for 57.

These specific genes, and their pathways, could provide the starting point for researchers to design new therapies for the condition, and they might also help doctors make better use of drugs already on the market. In some cases, for example, drugs may already exist to target the effects of specific genes associated with poor prognosis.

The work may also help doctors develop more personalized treatment for women who are at increased risk for relapse.

While it will be some time before this research has a direct effect on women with ovarian cancer, more studies are warranted because the current death rate from the disease is high. Up to 70 percent of women die within five years of diagnosis.

SOURCE: PLoS Medicine, published online February 3, 2009