High Grade Serous Adenocarcinoma Ovarian and maintenance

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My wife was diagnosed one year ago this month with Stage 4 Ovarian cancer. She has had 6 rounds of chemo with the carbo/taxol cocktail mix. She also went through 2 significant debulking surgeries. The last two chemo infusions included Avastin which she tolerates very well. Ever since she started with only the Avastin, her CA125 numbers have increased. She was getting treatments every 21 days but missed one treatment because we were on a trip of a lifetime. This last test showed her CA-125 has doubled.

The doctors did a CA scan in August and nothing appeared. She is scheduled to do another one in three weeks, this time with contrast. If it also is clear, they will do a pet scan. Whatever the outcome, she will probably have to start chemo again. I asked the doctor if there was another medication she could take that would stop the cancer from growing and she said no. My wife is not a candidate for a parp inhibitor and there are no other types of medication like Avastin.

I was just wondering if anyone knew of something, anything else that she can take to stop the cancer from growing. Thank you

Pauline - Macmillan 1 month ago

Dear Scubamutt4cd6cc

Thank you for getting in touch, my name is Pauline and I am one of the Cancer Information nurses on the support line. Welcome to our online community. I hope you are finding it helpful.

I am glad to hear that you managed to get on your holiday of a lifetime, I hope you both had a lovely time.

Supporting someone you love go through a diagnosis such as your wife’s can be difficult. I hope you are both receiving enough support to help you cope.

It can be alarming when the CA125 rises, however it is important to keep this in context. The CA125 test can be a useful tool, however it does not tell the full story of what is going on in your wife’s body. It must be looked at along with other investigations such as CT or PET scans.

When deciding what type of treatment is best for a patient, a lot of careful consideration is made by the MDT (multi-disciplinary team). They look at several factors to help them decide. Including the patient’s general health and past medical history. Along with factors such as how they have reacted to previous treatments. The team consider these using the NICE guidelines. The team also consider what clinical trials may be suitable for patients.

As a nurse on the Macmillan helpline, I do not have access to NHS notes. Therefore I am not in a position to be able to offer treatment advice. Your wife’s consultant along with the MDT, are the best judge of what treatment is most suitable. I can understand how difficult it must be to hear that there are no other types of treatment that would stop the cancer growing. It can help to ask for time with your consultant or the nurse specialist, so that you can ask questions and talk through the reasoning behind the advice given.

It is possible to ask for a second opinion. If this is something that you feel would help you and your wife come to terms with the advice given, then you could ask your consultant for more details.

You may find it helpful to give the Macmillan helpline a call. We can talk through the situation in more detail and can explore the best way to access support for you both.

I hope this information was helpful.

Ref PG/ AMc

Best wishes

Pauline

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

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High Grade Serous Adenocarcinoma Ovarian and maintenance