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Coping with ovarian & peritoneal cancer

Gynecologic Cancers | Last Active: 14 hours ago | Replies (30)

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@juliea55 Hi Juliea55,
Would you mind sharing what your more aggressive treatment is? And how MDAnderson is different from Mayo Jacksonville?

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Replies to "@juliea55 Hi Juliea55, Would you mind sharing what your more aggressive treatment is? And how MDAnderson..."

@lathomasmd Yes, of course. Once my surgery was done and all chemo was completed, I had no visible signs of disease (for the naked eye and on scans). At that point, I think most people take a watch and wait approach, doing periodic scans and checking their CA 125 levels every so often (and now Signatera levels as well) to see if the cancer has come back. Those who qualify take drugs like Lynparza. However, I did not qualify for Lynparza or any other therapies. So, I opted to take part in a clinical trial at MD Anderson that called for a “Second Look” surgery four months after my main surgery, during which they “washed” my abdomen for microscopic cancer cells (I’m not sure Signatera was available in March 2025). When those tests came back positive, I chose to begin immunotherapy (Keytruda and Avastin), along with low dose chemotherapy (50 mg of cyclophosphamide) in an attempt to get rid of the microscopic disease. As I understand it, the clinical trial I am on is trying to ascertain whether I am using up a line of therapy before I have to or whether treating the microscopic disease early will produce a clinical benefit, as well as result in longer overall survival. I have a cycle every three weeks, and about two months ago I tested negative for microscopic disease for the very first time! We don’t know really what it means, as Signatera is so new, but I am hoping that my treatment will produce a lasting benefit. As for Mayo Jacksonville versus MD Anderson, each facility has its own clinical trials and protocols. Mayo Jacksonville, for example, believed strongly in HIPEC surgery at the time I had my surgery done, but MD Anderson was not doing that as standard practice, as I was told they were not sure of the overall benefit and there could be significant complications. I opted not to try for HIPEC but many have had good results with it. (If my disease comes back, I would inquire about the PIPAC surgery at Mayo Jacksonville). Both are great places, but MD Anderson appeared to me to have many more doctors, a bigger operation, and many more clinical trials than Mayo Jacksonville. Mayo Rochester may be a different story. Anyway, hope this helps!