Ovarian cancer recurrence

Hello Hopeful23,

Thanks for getting in touch. My name is Megan, I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.

Welcome to the online community. I can see you have joined the Ovarian cancer forum and hope you have been finding it supportive.

I am sorry to hear your auntie has experienced a recurrence of her known ovarian cancer and I wish her all the best for her continued treatment.

From what you have explained it is my understanding that your auntie has platinum-sensitive recurrent disease and is therefore having repeat platinum-based chemotherapy as the first line treatment as we would expect.

In the recurrent disease setting, treatment is continued until there is a complete response, disease progression, or unacceptable toxicity (significant side effects from treatment).

The use of targeted therapies if not previously used, such as Bevacizumab, can be given along with platinum-based chemotherapies, although as we do not have access to healthcare records or systems we can only speak generally and encourage people to discuss specific treatments further with the hospital team.

Poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (e.g., olaparib, rucaparib, or niraparib) are given as a form of maintenance therapy when the cancer has had a complete response to treatment.

The use of targeted therapies as maintenance therapy can continue until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Although a partial response to treatment is usually measured in reduction in tumour size, a significant drop in CA-125 levels might equal a partial response to treatment. As the tumour has not shrunk in size this might also be referred to as stable disease. As she is midway through the treatment there is still opportunity for the tumour to also respond and shrink in size, however her hospital team would be best placed to ask if this is likely.  

To directly answer your question at some point it is likely the tumour will either shrink or grow. If it does grow during treatment with carboplatin, or within 4 weeks of the last treatment, this would mean she is platinum refractory, a version of platinum resistant.  

It is important to note that there are further treatments for ovarian cancers that are platinum-resistant and should this happen her hospital team will discuss with her the next recommended treatment options in her best interest.

I do hope you are also feeling okay, do make sure you too are receiving support if you are having difficulty during this time.

I hope this information is useful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

Best wishes, Megan

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

Ref MD/LZD