What happened, in summary

Pam Scarpino was diagnosed with Stage III high-grade serous ovarian cancer in October 2007. She initially stayed close to home for treatment, but an anaphylactic reaction to paclitaxel during her first chemotherapy treatment prompted her to seek care at MD Anderson.

At MD Anderson, Pam continued chemotherapy every 3 weeks with careful desensitization. Her first infusion there took 16 hours because the medication was diluted and given very slowly. She completed that course in April 2008, and a PET scan showed no signs of cancer. She later joined a clinical trial and was assigned to surveillance rather than treatment.

In December 2008, a new tumor appeared in the same area as before, with cancer also found in paraaortic lymph nodes. Pam restarted paclitaxel and carboplatin, but nerve damage forced her to stop after 8 months. She then received weekly Taxotere, followed by 33 intensity-modulated radiation treatments from December 2009 through February 2010.

In March 2010, Pam learned that she had no evidence of disease. She remained in remission at the time of the story, returned to full-time work and volunteered to support other patients and caregivers.