Sharing and looking for suggestion

Dear ladies,

It has been a long time since I last visited here. I will need time to read through so many threads that I missed. I have updated my "about me" page. I cut and paste it here just to share with you about my case. I also appreciate any suggestion/advice from you because I am actually pretty frustrated and lost at this moment.

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After first surgery on 12/29/2009, I had 8 cycles of Carbo/Toxel. CA125 drop from 880 to 40 within the first 4 treatments, but bounce back and forth between 40 and 30 in the following 4 treatments. My doctor doesn't like the fact that the CA125 did not go down to one digit, he put me on Toxel maintainance once a month. I had 7 of the maintainance treatments, and my father passed away (at age 91) in Taiwan. I went back to Taiwan for funeral in Feb, 2011. I had last toxel maintainance on 1/18/2011. I didn't take any treatment while I was in Taiwan. I came back to USA on 3/20. Had a blood work on 4/1, the CA125 was up to 77, and then on 4/15, it went up to 135. PET scan shows finding and confirmed the recurrence.

Update 11/15/2011: After multiple 2nd opinions and research, I decided to go with HIPEC to treat the recurrence. The surgery was scheduled on 7/22 because I want to go to the Alaska Cruise with my kids. My oncologist pressed hard for having chemo before surgery because he concern it will be spread out of pelvic so that I won't be qualify for this surgery anymore.(HIPEC is a clinical trial for ovarian cancer.) I decided to take my own risk not to take chemo before surgery but monitor CA125 every month. The CA125 reached 175 at the end of Arpil, and then down to 124 in May, and then 110 in June, and right before the surgery, it was 90.

So I had the surgery on 7/22 as scheduled. The surgery only went for 6 hours instead of original planed for 12 hours. They only found a small area with visible cancer (as shown on PET scan in April). They barely had enough sample to share between two chemo sensitivity labs I ordered (Rational and Clarity) and the pathology department of the hospital. I only stayed in hospital for 5 days instead of original plan for 12 days. I recovered very well physically. I went back to my hiking routine 4 weeks later.

But, BUT, the CA125 was at 170 four weeks after the surgery(August), and then up to 216 in September, and then doubled to 420 in end of October.

My doctors can't explain why the CA125 went down while I didn't do any chemo, and creeping up after the heated chemo treatment. But they just want me to do more chemo.

Both labs report came back and showing that my cancer cell resist to most of the chemo, and sensitive to some combination not standard to treat ovarian cancer. My oncologist told me that he won't even use those lab reports for reference because the chemo sensitivity test is not approved as a standard guidline for cancer treatment. So, he wants me to do topotican although both reports shows the cancer cell is resistant to topotican.

I am very healthy physically as of now. I go hiking everyday, eat well, sleep well, enjoy everyday. I don't see reason why I should use my precious day to test through all the chemo on my oncologist's list. As of now, I am still debating if I should go on chemo or not.

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I wish the best to all of you.

Tracy