Breast cancer survivor: preventive surgery at MD Anderson found early-stage ovarian cancer

when diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer In 2018, it was less of a surprise. My gynecologist has been observing some suspicious spots on my right breast for years.

almost every time Mammogramand the tech will say, “Oh, there’s something else I need to be careful of.” And my doctor marked the new spot by inserting a small metal clip there after performing the procedure. breast biopsy Moreover.by then my Annual mammography screening It turned out that I definitely had cancer. She already had 5-6 clips on her chest.

but i was I was surprised to learn that I also have stage I. ovarian cancer. I realized that after having my ovaries removed in 2020. removed the fallopian tubes As a risk mitigation measure.

thanks to MD Andersonbut i now show no evidence either disease. And I really appreciate it.

Reason for choosing MD Anderson for my breast cancer treatment

maybe i It was a shock when I found out that my breast cancer was triple negative. We knew it would be more difficult to treat because the disease lacks three of the most common receptors. targeted therapy would be a good option. But when the doctor told me that he knew a really great breast surgeon and made an appointment on the spot, I was too dumbfounded to say anything.

However, when I got home from the doctor’s office, my body trembled a little and I thought: What the heck am I doing wrong? i live in houston MD Anderson The number one hospital in Japan for cancer treatment. why don’t i go there “

i already knew that MD Anderson It was great because my mother, Nancy Henson, was cured. lung cancer many years ago. She died in 2014 at the age of 75, but the cause of her death was not cancer.

I called MD Anderson and made a promise.

My Triple Negative Breast Cancer Treatment

I knew immediately that I had made the right decision. MD Anderson It runs like a well-oiled machine.even me social work counselor it was very helpful. She knew I was in financial trouble at the time, so she gave me some of her parking tickets to ease her burden.

Once the test is positive, BRCA1 mutation After learning how aggressive triple-negative breast cancer can be, I fully agreed with my doctor’s recommendations for breast cancer treatment.

For me, that meant 16 rounds of chemotherapy with a breast oncologist. Doctor.Rashmi Marty: 4 rounds of “Red Devil” (doxorubicin cyclophosphamide) and 12 rounds of paclitaxel.Breast Surgery Oncologist Dr. Medijet Teshome ran double mastectomy To reduce the risk of future cancer. I did that in December 2018.

After that, I was very happy to find out that I didn’t need anything. additional treatment Because I had a complete pathological response to chemotherapy. By the time I had surgery, all I had left was the shell of the tumor. All cancer cells were dead.

Why did I have a fallopian tube/salpingectomy?

Dr. Mercy immediately referred me to a gynecologic oncologist. Dr. Mikaela Onstad Grinsfelder After testing positive for a BRCA1 mutation. She knew it would greatly increase my chances of developing ovarian cancer one day and wanted me to start a high-risk monitoring schedule immediately.

my CA-125 level was always within the normal range. However, Dr. Onstad Grinsfelder recommended surgery to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes to reduce my chances of developing ovarian cancer.

Unfortunately, all of this happened early on. COVID-19 Pandemic. Everything was new and uncertain, so many restrictions were put in place. I was already planning to replace the tissue expanders with breast implants. However, both that operation and the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes were considered “selective” operations and were strictly prohibited at the time.

Thankfully, Dr. Grinsfelder-Onstad has been keeping a close watch on the ever-changing pandemic situation and was quick to schedule an appointment when a slot finally opened for my elective surgery. I did both procedures in June 2020.

Cancer-free and exactly where I should be

had nothing Symptoms of ovarian cancer However, when the pathology report came back after surgery, it turned out that I already had stage I ovarian cancer in my left fallopian tube.

About 6 weeks later, I had surgery to remove the uterus, cervix, lymph nodes, and lymph nodes. omen Find out what additional treatments are recommended as a staging step. I then gave six doses of carboplatin and paclitaxel to kill microscopic cancer cells that might still be floating to reduce the risk of recurrence.

It didn’t bother me at all to have chemotherapy or surgery again. I’m so glad I was able to get rid of the cancer. My only concern now is High recurrence rate of ovarian cancer.

Still, I have a lot of trust in my doctor. MD Anderson. Even if plan A doesn’t work, I know there are plans B and C right behind it.they everytime It really puts your mind at ease and puts your mind at ease as you have alternative options in mind.

if it wasn’t for MD Anderson, I wouldn’t have even known that I had ovarian cancer.and that is How I knew MD Anderson was exactly where I should be.

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