How a Second Opinion and a Groundbreaking Clinical Trial Changed Everything

At age 51, Ida Y. noticed blood in her stool but assumed it stemmed from hemorrhoids. A routine colonoscopy revealed a malignant rectal tumor, and scans showed the cancer had already spread to her liver, lungs, and pelvic area. An initial oncologist told her she had only six months to live. Determined to fight, Ida sought a second opinion at City of Hope, where she met Dr. Marwan Fakih. Hearing him say, “No one can tell you how long you can live,” restored her hope.

First, Ida underwent intensive chemotherapy for 18 months to shrink tumors in her rectum and liver. Encouraging scan results paved the way for surgery in June 2018, where surgeons removed her rectal tumor and excised or ablated liver lesions. She also had a liver pump inserted to deliver targeted chemotherapy. Unfortunately, her cancer recurred by early 2019, spreading to her pelvis and lungs. Multiple treatments over the next 18 months proved temporary; the disease continued to progress, causing severe bleeding.

In June 2020, Ida met Dr. Andreas Kaiser. To stop life-threatening hemorrhaging, he performed a major operation removing her rectum, anus, bladder, uterus, and vagina. She woke with two permanent ostomy bags—an overwhelming adjustment. Worse yet, new scans soon revealed further cancer growth, and Ida exhausted all standard chemotherapy options.

Facing critical circumstances, Dr. Fakih offered a final possibility: a Phase I clinical trial combining immunotherapy with targeted therapy. Ida began treatment in August 2020, experiencing minimal side effects. Within four months, her tumors began “melting away,” and subsequent scans confirmed no evidence of disease. Ida completed the trial in late 2022, and she remains free of active cancer, monitored by CT scans every three months.

Today, Ida travels the world—including two dream trips to Paris—cherishing every moment with her family. She credits the care and pioneering research at City of Hope for giving her a future she was once told she wouldn’t have.