What happened, in summary

Patty Klein was in her late 40s when severe pain in her side led to imaging and a diagnosis of Stage III ovarian cancer. The pain came from fluid building up in her abdomen. After diagnosis, she learned that she carried a BRCA1 mutation, which was also found in several of her siblings.

About a week later, Patty underwent surgery that included a hysterectomy and removal of visible tumors. She then received 18 rounds of chemotherapy, including treatment delivered directly into the abdomen. Her care team initially found no evidence of cancer, but the disease returned 6 months later.

Patty went through additional courses of chemotherapy, with periods when the cancer again appeared to be gone before returning. Facing another recurrence, she searched for clinical trials and ultimately joined a Dana-Farber study of olaparib plus BKM120. The oral treatment had limited side effects and allowed her to keep working and traveling.

Patty became a strong advocate for research funding and wider access to clinical trials. She later died.