After 3 years, a recurrence.

Beth C

Hi everyone.  A quick about me and my story.  I’m facing a recurrence and it was so out of the blue,  I was asymptomatic and thought everything was going great after my original diagnosis in 2014. 

In 2014 after not having a period for over 2 years, I started spotting and went to my GP. A CA-125 results were 126. An ultrasound showed something going on in both ovaries and a fibroid on the uterus. A CT scan was then done. It was all so fast. Before I knew it, we were meeting with an oncologist and scheduling hysterectomy. And after the results of that, there was 18 weeks of Carboplatin and Taxol.After 3 years of my CA-125 results being consistently in the single digits, in June 2017 my numbers jumped to 1715. My ONC did a re-test 3 weeks later and the number jumped to 2952. At this point, he wanted to me to start chemo immediately but my partner and I had a bucket list trip to Alaska planned. 2 days after returning, I had my first chemo - Doxil. My CA-125 had jumped to 6243. Before my 2nd chemo, my CA-125 jumped to 8495.  I had a horrible reaction to Doxil so my ONC changed my 3rd chemo treatment to Taxol which I tolerated fairly well in 2014. My CA-125 finally showed a drop to 4555. My treatments are now 3 weeks on, 1 week off.

LorettaMarshall

Beth~Sorry 2 hear about recurrence~Doxil is a "devil" for many!

Dear Beth:

Needless to say all of us here are sad to learn of your recurrence.  As far as DOXIL is concerned, I am ruling it out as my next option, although my oncologist thinks I should consider it.  He thinks I am becoming “platin resistant”, and that I need to change to something else.  As for now, I don’t know what it will be, if anything at all.  One thing I have said from the beginning of my knowledge of chemotherapy because of my husband’s diagnosis back in 2002, I am NOT going to keep on taking one chemo treatment after another when the side effects are as bad or worse than I’m feeling with my cancer.  I want to have some semblance of QOL—quality of life—and the side effects of DOXIL do not fit that description for me.  So for that reason I’ve chosen to answer you on a new topic forum so that others might join in and share their treatment options especially relative to Doxil.  My nurse described it as “Plan B” when “Plan A” ceases to be effective.  Then what happens when “Plan B” doesn’t work and so on?????

So you can read my “expanded” response to your posting here: 

https://csn.cancer.org/node/312623

Hoping that you will be able to enjoy many more great fun-filled trips to far-away places in the days that follow while looking back at cancer in the “rear view” mirror.  

Love Loretta

Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV- first DX in November of 2012. 

Beth C

LorettaMarshall said:

Beth~Sorry 2 hear about recurrence~Doxil is a "devil" for many!

Dear Beth:

Needless to say all of us here are sad to learn of your recurrence.  As far as DOXIL is concerned, I am ruling it out as my next option, although my oncologist thinks I should consider it.  He thinks I am becoming “platin resistant”, and that I need to change to something else.  As for now, I don’t know what it will be, if anything at all.  One thing I have said from the beginning of my knowledge of chemotherapy because of my husband’s diagnosis back in 2002, I am NOT going to keep on taking one chemo treatment after another when the side effects are as bad or worse than I’m feeling with my cancer.  I want to have some semblance of QOL—quality of life—and the side effects of DOXIL do not fit that description for me.  So for that reason I’ve chosen to answer you on a new topic forum so that others might join in and share their treatment options especially relative to Doxil.  My nurse described it as “Plan B” when “Plan A” ceases to be effective.  Then what happens when “Plan B” doesn’t work and so on?????

So you can read my “expanded” response to your posting here: 

https://csn.cancer.org/node/312623

Hoping that you will be able to enjoy many more great fun-filled trips to far-away places in the days that follow while looking back at cancer in the “rear view” mirror.  

Love Loretta

Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV- first DX in November of 2012. 

Thank you Loretta, I’ll add

Thank you Loretta, I’ll add my comments to your Doxil thread.  

Opal5532

Symptoms of Carboplatin Build-Up or Doxil Reaction?

One of my family members has Ovarian Cancer.  She had Carboplatin and Taxol for the first set of chemotherapy over a year and a half ago.  Her Cancer has come back again and the new chemotherapy treatment they are using is Carboplatin and Doxil.  She has a been sicker than she ever was with the first set of chemo.  We believe this is a reaction to the Doxil (the new drug) but have been told that it is because of a build-up of Carboplatin from her treatments over a year and a half ago.  Has this happened to anyone else and what were your symptoms? Did you continue using the same treatment or did you try something else?  

AlexYurch

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Symptoms of Carboplatin Build-Up or Doxil Reaction?

"One of my family members has Ovarian Cancer.  She had Carboplatin and Taxol for the first set of chemotherapy over a year and a half ago.  Her Cancer has come back again and the new chemotherapy treatment they are using is Carboplatin and Doxil.  She has a been sicker than she ever was with the first set of chemo."

My wife (33 years old) is in the same situation today. She took in 17 gr of Carboplatin already. There was 16 Carboplatin/Taxol treatments during 22 months. Her allergy (anaphylactic shock) starts immediately after she gets first drops of Carboplatin. She gets asphyxia, oedema; however, her tumor had become very small, so there will be one more surgery soon.

She do not consider to try something else instead of Carboplatin, because Carboplatin helps a lot in accordance with Ultrasound, MRI, Computed Tomography.

ellakulot173

HI! I was diagnosed early July 0f 2019 and in shocked for none in the family had Ovarian CA. I was told to go through 6 cycles of chemo every 3 wekks interval of each chemo. Started my first chemo on August 1 then surgery by September. I completed the 6 cycle in the middle of December. Been on remission for a year then this January of 2021, my CT SCAN result showed lymph nodes in different areas and my CA 125 been consistently elevating. As, my oncologist advise, we'll start chemo again, so started it last February. for the meantime, my 4th chemo has been postponed 2 times due to my low WBC. This is scaring me so bad that my recurrence came back so soon. And the thought of what's next and what if my body can't handle it. please include me in your prayers for comfort and healing.