What happened, in summary

A painful lump in the left side of this patient’s abdomen eventually led to a diagnosis of bilateral ovarian cancer in 2018. Early imaging showed very large tumors, but repeat evaluation at MD Anderson found that the cancer had not spread extensively. It was classified as Stage II high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

On Sept. 11, 2018, the patient underwent an 8-hour operation. The tumor on the left ovary was about the size of a softball, while the tumor on the right was about the size of a volleyball. Surgery removed both tumors, the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, omentum, part of the peritoneum, and 16 nearby lymph nodes. None of the 16 lymph nodes contained cancer.

Three weeks later, chemotherapy began with carboplatin and paclitaxel. The patient received 6 IV rounds every 2 weeks and completed the final round on Jan. 23, 2019. Nausea and hair loss were the main treatment side effects.

Before reaching MD Anderson, the patient had feared that treatment might not be possible because of the tumor size. By the time the story was shared in February 2019, the patient described being cancer-free and focused on the hope treatment had provided.