Stage III Ovarian Cancer: Dianne's Patient Story
This ovarian cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Sex
- female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy and clinical trial
Treatment course, step by step
- Received 9 weeks of carboplatin and Taxol chemotherapy.
- Underwent a complete hysterectomy to remove the small tumors that remained.
- Joined a clinical trial combining pembrolizumab with carboplatin and Taxol.
What happened, in summary
Dianne Simpson was 73 when she completed treatment for Stage III high-grade serous ovarian cancer in April 2017. Her symptoms had started months earlier with worsening pain, bloating and difficulty sleeping. Initial evaluations did not identify the cause, but a later CT scan showed an abnormality near an ovary and led to referral to MD Anderson.
Her care team removed more than 2 liters of fluid from her abdomen and performed a laparoscopy. The procedure showed tumors throughout her abdominal cavity, and she was diagnosed with Stage III high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
Dianne first received 9 weeks of carboplatin and Taxol. She felt that the chemotherapy quickly improved how she felt and caused relatively few side effects. After chemotherapy reduced the disease, she underwent a complete hysterectomy to remove the small tumors that remained.
She then joined a clinical trial designed to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. The study combined the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab with carboplatin and Taxol. Dianne completed treatment and rang the bell on April 10, marking the end of the treatment course.
Afterward, she described deep gratitude for her care team and looked forward to volunteering at MD Anderson, watching her grandchildren graduate from college and seeing their families grow.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by MD Anderson. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer