Stage IV Ovarian Cancer: Diane's Patient Story
This ovarian cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Sex
- female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy and clinical trial
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Received chemotherapy after the January 2010 diagnosis and entered remission.
- After 3 recurrences, joined a Phase IB clinical trial using olaparib and AZD2014 twice daily.
- Continued the clinical trial into a third year with monthly exams and testing.
What happened, in summary
Diane Sarver was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer in January 2010 after a physical therapist noticed fluid on the left side of her neck. She had none of the pelvic symptoms she associated with ovarian cancer and no known family history of cancer.
Chemotherapy initially put Diane into remission, but the cancer returned 2 and a half years later. Two more recurrences followed within another 2 and a half years. Looking for other options, she traveled from Oregon to MD Anderson and joined a Phase IB clinical trial. She took olaparib and AZD2014 by mouth twice a day.
After about 7 weeks, Diane's test results had normalized, and her team described her as an unusual responder. At the time of the story, she was entering her third year on the trial and planned to remain on it as long as the drugs continued to work without side effects. Monthly monitoring was shared between MD Anderson and her Oregon oncologist, reducing the travel burden while keeping both teams involved in her care.
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