Hello cjb2

I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's diagnosis. It's obviously been a difficult time for you both and natural that you may be experiencing a whole range of emotions at the moment. 

I hope that the appointment with the oncologist brought some reassurance about the next steps in her proposed treatment plan. Don't be afraid to contact the clinical nurse specialist if you or your wife have any questions or concerns about her treatment over the coming weeks. 

From your post it sounds as if you're taking a very positive approach to the planned treatment over the coming months and undoubtedly this will stand you both in good stead. It sounds as if your wife will be well supported and it's good that you're both looking forward to the future. 

I'm going to tag in ProfBaw my reply here. Whilst his wife underwent treatment for breast cancer, I know from his posts how involved he was with her care and what a great support he's been to others here on the forum supporting loved ones. Hopefully, he will pop along to introduce himself but you can also read through some of their journey in his previous posts. 

If you'd like to talk with one of our nurses at any point you're welcome to call them on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. I know they will be happy to offer any advice, information, and support they can. 

Keep in touch cjb2 and let us know how you're both getting on. We're here to listen and will do our best to support you over the coming weeks and months. 

Sending my best wishes to you both, 
Jenn
Cancer Chat moderator 

We had seen the oncologist this morning and his nursing team this morning and he did seem to be fairly confident that the treatment that my wife will receive which looks likes starting in a couple of weeks with chemotherapy before Easter and in the week after Easter. She is going to receive three different chemotherapy drugs where the first one is Paclitaxol (this one stops the nucleus of the cancer cells from dividing and forming new cancer cells aka Taxol), Carboplatin (which does something to damage the DNA of the cancer cells) and Avaston (aka Bevacizumab) which is a maintenance drug that restricts the blood flow to stop new cancer clusters from developing). The cancer type was confirmed from the biopsy as being high grade serous carcinoma which appears to be the most common type of ovarian cancer.

She is going to receive three cycles (each being three weeks) with all three in the first week and the following two weeks receiving doses of Taxol before the cycle repeats again. She is also going to have another MRI scan to check that it has not gone into her liver but when I had questioned the doctor over this, he had confirmed that if it had then the chemotherapy would also attack and kill the cancer cells here as well.

After that, she will be assessed for surgery which would involve the debulking (removal of the dead cancer cells) and oophorectomy and hysterectomy. After the recovery period, there is a further 3 cycles of the chemotherapy treatment again.

My wife had also been advised that she would continue to receive Avaston for up to a year as a means to restrict or even stop new cancer clusters from forming.

When the treatment starts, she has been advised to wear the cold cap which may reduce hair loss as it reduces the blood flow to the scalp and hence the chemo therapy does not also act on the hair cells which also multiply rapidly. I have also urged her to get a wig if she feels uncomfortable about hair loss which she is now doing.

She will also be tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to see if there is a family history where she had a blood test today and also her blood count where they check the platelet levels as well as the white and red cell count.

Although my wife is coming to terms with being told that she has ovarian cancer and it is a shock to her given that she has lived a healthy lifestyle through her life, I have reassured her that she needs to let the cancer treatment specialists do what they need to do and at least put this into remission or even cure her entirely. It is a long road ahead for her but I am quietly optimistic that she will come out the other side of this as well later this year.

It has not been confirmed that my wife will start her treatment next Tuesday (26.03.24) where she is having all three drus to get the remission process started and then having Taxol for the next couple of weeks before having a rest week. After that 4 weeks later, she starts round 2 of the chemotherapy. In terms of her general wellness, she is carrying on as normal as possible and distracting her mind and trying to not think about it. Given that it is just my wife and mysef living at home at the moment, I have converted the lounge into a recovery ward (as I do not want her going up and down the stairs especially after she has the debulking surgery) where she has got a decent size comfortable double bed, audio and visual system for DVD's and somehwere to have her meals. She also has a view out onto the garden on a South facing window which she would not get in a hospotal ward

Although she has got a lot of anxiety about the treatment and the side effects of the chemotherapy, I am keeping on reminidng her that the treatment will get rid of the cancer and she can go back to her normal life again. I think that she is also trying to sort out a wig as well just in case that does have to go through that mental trauma of losing her hair and she is also having plenty of foods that have high levels of antioxidants such as fruit and vegetables as well as proteins as a means of being a fourth chemotherapy drug to fight cancer. She has also said that after the Princess of Wales had gone public about her health that she had got some reassurance especially after she had said that it is not something that anyone with cancer should fear

My wife had her first lot of chemotherapy last week where she had the Avastin, Carboplatin and Taxol where she had managed to keep on the cold cap when she had the latter. She is due to have another dose of Taxol tomorrow but not the others which is the one that kills the cancer that has already formed by stopping it dividing and forming new cells.

There have been some minor side effects where she had a bit of nausea a few days ago but that has now eased and the oncology department had said that was mainly due to the Carboplatin. She has so far not had any hair loss yet

I suppose that one positive sign that she has said is that the bloating has seemed to had eased since she had the chmeotherapy but does also do a lot of sleeping and has mentioned about her feet being a but numb. The oncology deparment has suggested that she walks about a bit more.

She also had another MRI scan last week where the doctor was not sure about one of the tumours on the surface of the liver. However, the same doctor did say that the chemotherapy will kill all the cancer cells present wherever it has spread.

I think that she is more anxious about the treatment rather than the cancer itself especially the debulking surgery and removal of the affacted organs but have reassured her that this is the major part of the treatment that will remove the dead cancer cells from inside of her abdomen.

It has been several months since I had last posted any updates and a lot has happened in that time where it has been mostly good news.

She has been received since the end of month 18 weekly cycles of the two chemotherapy drugs, Paclitaxol (this stops the existing cancer cells from dividing), Carboplatin on a 3 weekly cycles (this damages the DNA of the cancer to prevent new cancers from forming and Avastin (Bevacizumab) which is an immunotherapy drug that stops blood vessels forming on new cancer cells and hence these die off. The bloating and the abdominal pains had stopped altogether after about a month of chemotherapy had started. She had used the cold cap and has kept about 95% of her hair on her scalp. There has not been any weight loss and this has remained largely stable during the cancer treatment. Her CA125 levels had been recorded at 88 at the end of January, had climbed to 256 by the end of March and the most recent at the end of last week has indicated that it had dropped to 11 (well below the 35 level that would indicate that cancer is present in menopausal women). The CT scan and the MRI scan after two 3 weekly rounds of chemotherapy had shrunk all the tumours in the peritoneal by approximately 40%. Her gynaecological specialist had advised that the ascites have seemed to had disappeared (where he had said that there did not appear to be any fluid present) and the cancer has not mutated so her original treatment plan has not changed. The liver and kidney function through weekly blood tests is within the required limits to allow treatment to continue. She also had a lesion on the surface of her liver which has seemed to have disappeared following the chemotherapy and a couple of minute granules in the liver which have been dissolved by the treatment. It appears that although diagnosed with stage 3C that the cancer has not got into the lymph system and was contained in the abdomen. She is also able to do the local weekly park run where she walks about 2.5 miles. She has also had a diet of blueberries (which have a lot of anti-cancer ingredients in them) as well as nuts and the 5 fruit and vegetables per day.

However, it has not been without its problems where these have namely been:-

She has a PICC line fitted where she has got used to this now. She has been suffering from extreme anxiety about the diagnosis and sometimes struggles to comprehend why she had got the cancer in the first place. Since this has happened, she has been put on anti-depressant drugs which have made her feel nauseous at time but has been told to take the anti-sickness tablets. The Carboplatin has also caused its own problems where she has been nauseous about 2-3 days after receiving this. She has also had some tingling in her feet but this normally resolved itself where she had been wearing heating socks to increase circulation. The MDT has advised that she has needed to have all 6 rounds of chemotherapy before being considered for de-baulking surgery. She will continue to have Avastin for up to 12 months. She has also been advised that she will need to take a PARP inhibitor for up to 10 years (possibly Niraparib) We still do not know if it is related to the BRCA 1 or 2 gene which would determine her treatment programme in the future although she has been tested for this.

Overall, the treatment appears to be going well and her gynaecological specialists appears to be confident that she can put this ordeal behind her very soon although a complete cure could be a possibility. However, she knows that she will have to remain on preventative treatment after the main part is complete for the foreseeable future and this is all down to the McMillan Cancer Centre who has managed to reverse her condition. She stills suffers from anxiety but when she is in this state then she just needs to read the list of notes that her doctor had told her where the treatment is working and looking like she will make a full recovery. The doctor does remind her that she is still at the long treatment process over several years to at least control the ovarian cancer and even totally eradicate it.

Hi, I’ve recently had a similar diagnosis to your wife. I have been finding it very difficult to delve too deeply into the reality of it all, (almost too scared to Google anything) but reading your personal account has helped me understand better, and I realise I’m not alone. Thank you. 

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis where it is hard for anyone who receives the devastating news of cancer. The important thing that I have told my wife is to listen to what the oncology doctors say as they have the inside knowledge about her condition. If it is the Serous Carcinoma which is the most common form of Ovarian Cancer (but can be the deadliest as well as it spreads quickly due to it forming on the surface of the ovary), it does respond well to Paclitaxol (Taxol) and Carboplatin and this has been the case in terms of my wife's treatment. She has not lost any more scalp hair because she had worn the cold cap but did lose the hair from elsewhere.

My wife has now finished her six rounds of chemotherapy treatment where she had been told that she is not having surgery mainly because of the risks outweighed the benefits. Her tumours had shrunk considerably and she has been advised to carry on with the Avastin (Bevacizumab) treatment which the medical terminology is a monoclonal immunotherapy drug. It serves two purposes which it prevents the protein (VEGF) that cancers need to survive i.e. have their own blood supply and stops them forming in the first place (this starving the cancer of the nutrients it needs to grow and eventually dies off) but it does also 'train' the body's immune system to attack the cancer cells seeing that they are foreign invaders and hence the cancer destroys itself and the body disposes of the remnants. She has got to have another 12 rounds of Avastin on a 3 week cycle and then will move onto a PARP inhibitor which she will probably have to take for the foreseeable future. She will also have her CA125 test does every 3 weeks and if this stays below 35 and does not have any further symptoms, she will not need another CT scan until the end of the Avastin treatment. Additionally, the doctor has mentioned that the cancer has not mutated from its original form and all of the identified cancer is in a controlled state (I would assume that this means benign) whilst the Avastin sets to remove the remainder of it. The lesions that were found on the liver seem to have disappeared and no cancer was found on any part of her digestive system i.e. on the colon or elsewhere in the body.

Although she has not been cured, the cancer has gone into partial remission and will take several years to completely eradicate or at least prevent it from reoccurring.

Although she is still suffering from mental anxiety at the moment, I believe that the worst is now behind us and she is on the slow road to recovery. I would say that the fight against virtually all cancers has stepped up a gear which many more drugs and treatments becoming available after successful trials. Additionally, it could be a couple of years away but trials are currently being done using the mRNA vaccine technology (similar to that used to develop the CoVid-19 vaccines) where cancer patient's cancer DNA is developed into a personal vaccine and this enables the white blood cells (leucocytes) in the body to fight and destroy it just like it is fighting a bacteria or a virus.

In the meantime, the oncology doctors initial aim is to treat the cancer to get it into a controlled state and then used immunotherapy drugs such as Avastin and PARP inhibitors and then if these mRNA vaccine trials are successful could be the magic bullet to cure most cancers from those unlucky enough to be diagnosed with it. The other thing to remember about survival rates based on statistics is that this is historic information and the future picture of an individual is significantly improved.

Thank you for your reply. Very kind of you to give me detail, and in a positive manner. I’m a natural researcher by nature, but with this diagnosis, I’ve steered clear. And I appreciate you reminding me of the issues regarding historical information. 

I had my first chemo last weds. I felt horrendous, but this week, I see light at the end of the tunnel. I wish your wife all the best. If she ever needs a chat, I can forward my email. I’m 57 and from near Bristol. 

My wife is 55 and we live in Stevenage in Hertfordshire and she has been treated at the nearby Hospital. She did tell me that the size of the original ovarian cyst was over 11cm and has now shrunk to less than 5cm and the bits that she did also have on the liver have disappeared. Her doctor had told her that the Avastin which she will now take until next March should shrink and possible eradicate what is left there. I can ask her to make contact with yourself as her self confidence is coming back again.

Lovely to hear your wife is doing well. I’m very glad her confidence is returning too. 

She is still suffering from anxiety and saying that she had wished that she had picked it up sooner. However, I have told to her focus on the fact now that she no longer has symptoms and the treatment has worked and will constantly be on the radar on checks and medication. She has another online call with her oncology doctor later today.The wonder drug is Avastin (Bevacizumab) as that stops the tumours in the tracks.

A quick update on my wife's treatment for ovarian cancer where she had another consultation with her oncology doctor today. She had completed her chemotherapy six weeks ago and her CA125 levels have remained static at around 9-10 which means that the cancer (and that is if there is anything left) is still in the inactive state so she is to continue with the Bevacizumab for the next 6 months at 3 week intervals. Whilst the physical side seems to be working, she does have days of extreme anxiety especially when she thinks she should had acted sooner but the main issue here is that the treatment has worked and put it in a stable condition. It is hard to say this but she has been put on anti-depressants and is going to have some professional counselling very soon.

I have told her to take inspiration from the Princess of Wales who I believe is in an identical situation with her own cancer treatment to that of my wife where Catherine had stated "With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,"

A quick update on my wife's treatment for ovarian cancer where she had another consultation with her oncology doctor today. She had completed her chemotherapy six weeks ago and her CA125 levels have remained static at around 9-10 which means that the cancer (and that is if there is anything left) is still in the inactive state so she is to continue with the Bevacizumab for the next 6 months at 3 week intervals. Whilst the physical side seems to be working, she does have days of extreme anxiety especially when she thinks she should had acted sooner but the main issue here is that the treatment has worked and put it in a stable condition. It is hard to say this but she has been put on anti-depressants and is going to have some professional counselling very soon.

I have told her to take inspiration from the Princess of Wales who I believe is in an identical situation with her own cancer treatment to that of my wife where Catherine had stated "With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,"