Debulking: 37 Real Stories

37 stories match debulking. 35 of them mention surgery.

Jane, who was diagnosed with Stage I Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Stage I Ovarian Cancer: Jane's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Jane McGrath, female, 40s | Stage I

Jane was in remission after surgery and 6 rounds of chemotherapy and later became an ovarian-cancer volunteer and advocate.

Memorial Sloan Kettering
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
Manisha, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Stage IV Ovarian Cancer: Manisha's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Manisha Koirala, Female | Stage IV

She was declared cancer-free after her final chemotherapy cycle on April 30, 2013, and remained in remission more than 6 years later.

Memorial Sloan Kettering
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
Caitlin, who was diagnosed with Stage II Ovarian Squamous Cell CarcinomaOvarian Cancer

Stage II Ovarian Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Caitlin's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Caitlin Koehler, female, Under 40 | Stage II

Biomarkers: PD-L1: high expression

After surgery for recurrence, Caitlin remained on maintenance therapy and her follow-up scans showed no evidence of disease.

MD Anderson
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian AdenocarcinomaOvarian Cancer

Stage IV Ovarian Cancer First Found Through an Umbilical Metastasis

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: WT1-positive; CK7-positive; CA-125 321 U/mL at diagnosis

Metastatic Site: umbilicus

After 9 months of bevacizumab maintenance, her clinical and imaging findings remained stable.

PubMed Central
OutcomeStable Disease
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Durable response after multiple treatments for ovarian clear cell cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: HRD-positive; BRCA-negative; ARID1A mutation; PD-L1 CPS 30

She achieved a complete response, completed maintenance immunotherapy in May 2024, and continued anlotinib with normal follow-up imaging and tumor markers.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
Hope, who was diagnosed with Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer: Hope's Patient Story

Patient Info: Hope Aguilar, female

More than 14 years after her December 2011 diagnosis, Hope is a survivor and advocate after initial treatment and a later ovarian-cancer recurrence.

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Invasive Lobular CarcinomaBreast Cancer

Triple-negative metastatic breast cancer with pituitary metastasis: symptom relief after debulking

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Pituitary metastasis was triple-negative breast cancer with no HER2 amplification.

Metastatic Site: liver; bone/skull; right breast; left orbit/optic…

Transsphenoidal debulking relieved visual symptoms and 6-month MRI showed no pituitary recurrence, while known metastatic breast cancer at other sites remained part of her ongoing cancer course.

PubMed Central
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
A patient, who was diagnosed with Breast CancerBreast Cancer

Breast cancer survivor with synchronous intercostal nerve schwannomas mimicking metastasis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, Under 40

Biomarkers: Breast cancer biomarkers not reported; schwannomas were S100-positive

After prior breast cancer treatment, later D6-D7/rib lesions were proven to be S100-positive schwannomas rather than metastases, and surgical removal relieved the patient’s rib-cage numbness and pain.

PubMed Central
OutcomeSurvivorship / Completed Treatment
Carla, who was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Stage III BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Carla's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Carla Peoples, female | Stage III

Biomarkers: BRCA1 mutation

She was cancer-free after surgery and 6 rounds of chemotherapy and continued olaparib maintenance with CA-125 blood testing every 3 weeks.

MD Anderson
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage II Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Recurrent Lung Adenocarcinoma Complicated by a Tracheopericardial Fistula

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+ | Stage II

Biomarkers: No gene mutations identified on postoperative testing

He died during the June 2024 admission, about 7½ years after his November 2016 lung-cancer diagnosis, after massive hemoptysis occurred in the setting of a tracheopericardial fistula and recurrent cancer.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
Lissa, who was diagnosed with Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer: Lissa's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Lissa Fancher

At the latest update, the patient had no evidence of disease, tumor markers had dropped significantly, and daily hormone therapy was being used to reduce recurrence risk.

MD Anderson
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
Susan, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Stage IV Ovarian Cancer: Susan's Patient Story

Patient Info: Susan Dunwoody, female | Stage IV

Susan lived for 7 years after her Stage IV ovarian cancer diagnosis and later died from the disease.

MD Anderson
OutcomeIn Memory
Lauren, who was diagnosed with Stage I Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage I Lung Cancer: Lauren's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lauren Koy, Female, Under 40 | Stage I

Biomarkers: CD56-positive neuroendocrine tumor; no gene mutations reported

As of January 2024, Lauren’s diagnosis had been established and bronchoscopy had reopened the blocked right-lung airway; later definitive treatment or long-term status was not described in this record.

The Patient Story
OutcomeCare Ongoing
Karoline, who was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Stage III Ovarian Cancer: Karoline's Patient Story

Patient Info: Karoline Strauss, female | Stage III

After resuming etigilimab and nivolumab, the patient felt markedly better; by the eighth infusion, some tumors had disappeared and others were shrinking, and treatment was continuing.

MD Anderson
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian CancerOvarian Cancer

Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer Discovered During Trigeminal Neuralgia Evaluation

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Three months after surgery, she had recovered well from debulking and 6 total chemotherapy cycles, with complete macroscopic clearance achieved at surgery. Trigeminal-neuralgia symptoms persisted and continued to require daily medication.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
OC
Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer that later spread to an axillary lymph node

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: axillary lymph nodes

After later peritoneal progression, additional treatment brought the disease to a stable state through her last recorded visit in July 2019.

PubMed Central
OutcomeStable Disease
AO
Ovarian Cancer

Advanced Ovarian Cancer Presenting With Dermatomyositis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

Biomarkers: CA-125 3169 at diagnosis; later CA-125 rise with progression

After a partial response to second-line chemotherapy, nodal disease progressed again 5 months later and liposomal doxorubicin was planned.

PubMed Central
OutcomeSetback / Progression
OC
Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer With Pleural Spread and Recurrent Dermatomyositis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: pleura

She had symptomatic improvement after 2 cycles of carboplatin and liposomal doxorubicin for recurrent disease.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Lung cancer presenting with brain and leptomeningeal spread

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: PD-L1 100%; EGFR negative; ALK rearrangement negative

Metastatic Site: brain, leptomeninges

His condition deteriorated within weeks of radiotherapy. He was readmitted with pneumonia and an acute right frontal brain haemorrhage and died within 1 week; metastatic lung adenocarcinoma was recorded as the cause of death.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory