Day 18 A Month of Teal : Ovarian Cancer - Recurrence is Common

Recurrence was one thing I tried not to think about when I was initially diagnosed. But more than 80% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer ( or fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer ) have a recurrence after completing initial treatment

Most likely once you finish front line treatment for ovarian cancer your doctor will follow up with you on a regular basis. He/she may ask you to have your CA-125 level checked every 1-3 months . Increases over time in your level of CA-125 may signal a recurrence. A trial by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the EORTC  showed there was no benefit to women in detecting and treating a rising CA-125. If your CA125 rises you may be asked to have a CT scan.

Patients with confirmed recurrent disease are separated into two groups:

• Platinum resistant or platinum refractory recurrence is when a women 's disease will progress while on initial treatment or when the disease returns within 6 months of completing initial treatment.  A women will usually begin treatment with a drug other than the carboplatin/cisplatin taxol combination that she was given originally.
• Platinum sensitive recurrence  is when the disease recurs more than  6 months from finishing initial treatment. In this case, most women are given a platinum drug and another chemotherapy agent. 

Sources:
NCI
https://www.cancer.gov/types/ovarian/hp/ovarian-epithelial-treatment-pdq#section/_82
OCRFA
https://ocrfa.org/patients/about-ovarian-cancer/recurrence/

Over the next two days  I will share more information on the chemotherapy and targeted therapy treatments a women might receive after a recurrence.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!