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Hanna is a doctor with 40 years of work experience. Her awareness of the need for regular examinations is great. This did not protect her from ovarian cancer, however. The disease developed within a few months.
- – In May 2018, I heard that I have advanced ovarian cancer – recalls Ms Hanna. – Four months earlier, I underwent a transvaginal examination which showed no pathology
- As the doctor admits, she only felt slight abdominal pain and gas. However, she had a bad feeling, so she decided to perform a more detailed diagnosis
- Ovarian cancer is diagnosed every year by 3. 700 Polish women. Cancer is often called the “silent killer” because it does not show any specific symptoms at an early stage
- Ovarian cancer is no longer a death sentence. The development of pharmacology meant that the disease can more and more often be called chronic and treatable. The PARP inhibitors give hope for an effective therapy
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
The symptoms were hardly visible …
Hanna is a doctor after the age of 60, for whom annual transvaginal examinations are the basis for the prevention of oncological disease. Therefore, the diagnosis of ovarian cancer was a big surprise for her. The more so because the symptoms were not specific and the morphology results were normal. All she felt was a slight abdominal pain and bloating, without losing weight. However, she was worried about something, so she decided to conduct further tests.
Two years ago, in May 2018, I heard that I had advanced stage IIIC ovarian cancer. I was unable to protect against it, even though I never neglected my gynecological preventive examinations. I was prompted for additional diagnostics by the unusual, not very intense pain in the right hypochondrium. Four months earlier, I underwent a transvaginal examination which showed no pathology. Constipation developed over time. I felt constant unease. A red light came on in my head. I knew that it was not as it should be, so I delved into the topic, looking for the cause of such symptoms. My colleagues slowly started treating me like a hypochondriac, asking, “What exactly are you looking for there? After all, everything is normal! ». Contrary to all comments, I repeated a series of tests. During the ultrasound of the small pelvis, it was found that there was something disturbing about the ovary. The extent of the misfortune was revealed only by laparoscopy with conversion to full opening of the abdomen and a 3-hour operation performed by the team of prof. Panka – shares her experience with the doctor.
The diagnosis of ovarian cancer is given annually to approx. 3 thousand. 700 Polish women, of which as much as 80 percent. is over 50 years of age. However, this does not mean that the disease does not affect young women and girls as well. Ovarian cancer is often called the “silent killer” because it does not have any specific symptoms at an early stage. It is on the fifth place in the list of the most frequently diagnosed malignant neoplasms in the world. The risk of its development increases significantly in genetically burdened women, i.e. with a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, as it is in 44% of women. carriers of the defective gene develop a serious disease …
After hearing the diagnosis, a lot has changed in my life. There were things I had to reevaluate. At first, I felt a great fear that I would leave my loved ones. With time, however, I decided that I would not give up and I would fight for myself, because I have someone to live for. When I started the fight, I felt like in a ring where the opponent was ovarian cancer – the worst gynecological cancer in Poland.
- Women mistake it for digestive problems. It is often too late for treatment
New Hope in Ovarian Cancer Treatment – Earlier Is Better
Thanks to advanced technology and research advances, ovarian cancer does not have to be a death sentence. The development of pharmacology meant that the disease can more and more often be called chronic and manageable and treatable.
PARP inhibitors provide such a chance for an effective therapy of ovarian cancer. Drugs that have proven their effectiveness, providing spectacular results in extending the life of patients with ovarian cancer, were presented at key global medical congresses – the American and European Society of Clinical Oncology – ASCO and ESMO. The well-known Polish singer Kora, suffering from ovarian cancer, fought for the refund of one of them – olaparib. Unfortunately, her cancer was at such an advanced stage that the artist lost this unequal fight on July 28, 2018. With her actions, however, she contributed to the reimbursement of the drug, which, despite the enormous clinical benefits, still covers a too narrow group of patients, i.e. only those who experience relapse cancer.
In 2020, during one of the medical congresses – ESMO, the results of research for the drug olaparib used at an earlier stage of the disease, i.e. in patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer, were presented. They show that almost half of women in such a situation as Ms Hanna live without progression for 5 years, which is as much as 3,5 years longer than now compared to the lack of maintenance treatment. Many doctors believe that it is a kind of revolution in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Dr. Hanna soon after hearing the diagnosis began to follow the study of new molecules in ovarian cancer. She then found the promising results of the SOLO1 trial with olaparib, which prompted her to start treatment.
The results I saw were amazing! It gave me great hope that the diagnosis – ovarian cancer is not the end of my life. I prescribed the first two packages of the drug myself and paid for the treatment for several months with the support of my family and friends because the Ministry of Health refused to finance me. I was lucky to be enrolled in a drug early access program financed by the manufacturer. I was taking Olaparyb for 24 months. I am now in full remission. I feel very good. I don’t have any side effects. I am aware that if it were not for this treatment, I might not be there anymore … Meanwhile, I am professionally active, I try to play sports regularly and enjoy every moment of my “new life” with my husband. I do not plan anything anymore, because I do not know what the future will bring, but I am very happy with what I have. Lives.
Mrs. Hanna, as a patient and experienced doctor, emphasizes that despite the awareness of cytology and breast examination, little attention is paid to ovarian cancer. As with any cancer, “oncological vigilance” and listening to your body are important, especially as there are no effective methods of early detection of ovarian cancer. In the case of already diagnosed patients, it is important to ensure access to optimal diagnostic tools, and in particular to perform tests for mutations in BRCA1 / 2 genes in sick women. Determining this mutation, firstly, may influence the selection of the appropriate targeted treatment for the patient, and secondly, it may support the process of early identification of people from the risk group (the patient’s family) and putting them under regular oncological supervision.
Simplifying: Having knowledge about the mutation, we can prevent our family from detecting the cancer too late. As Dr. Hanna emphasizes, we are still struggling with many neglect in the treatment of this cancer, including: the lack of comprehensive, centralized centers, limited access to molecular diagnostics and treatment, and in the case of ovarian cancer, weeks or even days count …
Based on my own experience, I am aware of the importance of introducing specialist ovarian cancer treatment centers, which will provide comprehensive treatment and diagnostics, primarily genetic. In my case, I was forced to perform detailed tests in many different centers in Warsaw. It is therefore impossible to guess that for patients from smaller cities, making a quick diagnosis may therefore be much more difficult … It is also necessary to reimburse modern drugs, such as olaparib, which are key to maintaining remission of the disease at an early stage of the procedure. Genetic tests will give us patients a chance for effective treatment, and our daughters and grandchildren will enable early prophylaxis.
Dr Hanna, taught by her own experience, also emphasizes the importance of thorough research, even if the basic morphology and cytology do not indicate anything disturbing. Especially when you feel discomfort related to constipation and flatulence. Patients must not forget to perform transvaginal ultrasound and check the level of CA125 tumor markers.
- Killer of Polish women. “Cancer We Cannot Detect Early”
Where to go for help?
The diagnosis of cancer is always accompanied by fear and anxiety. No wonder, in the end, overnight, patients are faced with the fact that they have several months or weeks to live. It was the same with me. Even though I am a doctor, the news about the disease fell on me suddenly and unexpectedly … With time, however, I realized that what is most valuable now is time and I have to start fighting for my life. I knew who to go to and what treatment I should take. But what about patients who do not know where to seek help? The # Coalition for Life of people with the BRCA 1/2 mutation, whose aim is to accelerate and improve the quality of the diagnostic and therapeutic process of patients, and thus extend their lives, comes out to help women suffering from ovarian cancer.
# CoalitionForLife for people with the BRCA1 / 2 mutation
The coalition partners present three most important postulates.
- Easy access to Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) molecular diagnostics. Increasingly extensive scientific knowledge about tumor markers should support the development of personalized medicine, that is, medicine tailored to the individual patient. Next-Generation Sequencing is an innovative diagnostic tool. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of molecular tests performed in centers carrying out surgeries in ovarian cancer. It is no less important to create an Internet Patient Account (IKP), where data on all the results of genetic, pathomorphological and molecular tests will be collected in one place.
- Improving the quality and availability of comprehensive treatment. Comprehensive care for a patient who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer is crucial. A chance to improve the quality of their treatment is provided by introducing a multidisciplinary team of specialists to the clinics. The solution may also be the implementation of tele-medicine solutions.
- The use of effective treatment methods, in line with European standards, at the earliest possible stage of the disease in women suffering from ovarian cancer
The coalition partners are trying to obtain a refund of the drug in order to ensure treatment at the earliest possible stage of the disease – in accordance with European standards of treatment methods.
Detailed information related to ovarian cancer and the activities of the coalition partners is available on the website www.koalicjadlazycia.pl. There, ovarian cancer patients will also find an e-mail address where they can get the necessary help.
Read also:
- “The advancement of ovarian cancer in Polish women is much higher than in the West” There are chances for more effective treatment
- The first signs of cancer are atypical. «75 percent patients come to us at an advanced stage »
- Insidious tumor. Nothing hurts for a long time, the symptoms resemble gastric problems
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