What happened, in summary

At age 26, this patient had worsening bloating, stomach problems and abdominal pain that several doctors initially dismissed. An emergency-room CT scan showed large tumors, and surgery that had been expected to be straightforward instead revealed Stage IV ovarian cancer, with tumors wrapped around the colon.

The patient first received chemotherapy, but after 1 month a CT scan showed that the cancer had not responded and the tumors were still growing. In late March 2012, the patient entered a clinical trial using Avastin and Sovenifib. Nearly 8 months of treatment shrank the tumors. In November 2012, debulking surgery removed about 90% of the cancer; the remaining disease was considered too dangerous to remove.

At the time of the story, the patient had been on hormonal therapy for 2 months. A recent CT scan showed the remaining tumors calcifying and dying, which offered hope even though lifelong treatment was expected for the low-grade cancer. The experience also motivated the patient to raise awareness about persistent ovarian cancer symptoms and the importance of advocating for further evaluation.