Stage II Ovarian Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Caitlin's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Caitlin Koehler was 27 when a year of severe abdominal pain finally led to CT imaging that found an 11 cm mass on her right ovary. She underwent removal of the right ovary and fallopian tube, and pathology showed Stage II squamous cell carcinoma arising in a teratoma, a rare ovarian cancer. At MD Anderson, she began carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy with bevacizumab every 3 weeks. Tumor testing showed high PD-L1 expression, so pembrolizumab was added during her third cycle. Caitlin completed 6 chemotherapy cycles and continued bevacizumab and pembrolizumab as maintenance therapy from June 2024. A routine scan in February 2025 found new growths in the right abdomen and along the small bowel. On April 24, 2025, she underwent debulking surgery that removed the recurrent growth, part of the small intestine and the omentum while preserving her uterus and left ovary. She continued maintenance therapy afterward. Follow-up scans after the second surgery were clear with no evidence of disease. Fertility concerns and uncertainty were major parts of the experience, and Caitlin used family support and therapy to help manage the emotional impact.