Veins after chemotherapy - mine are payable and hurt during and after infusion, any recommendations welcome as to how to deal with this?? Does it get better over time, if so how long after?
P.s. still need to do 6 more avastin infusions and I really worry about the state my arms are in ....positive stories welcome
Has anyone had any experience with clinical trials for late stage ovarian cancer?
My mom (55yrs) was diagnosed with stage 3 high-grade serous ovarian cancer in May 2025, her CA125 was in the 4,000s at time of diagnosis. She underwent 4 rounds of Carbo-Taxol chemo, then cytoreduction surgery to remove ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, and omentum followed by HYPEC. She then did only 2 more rounds of chemo after that since her CA125 dropped so fast all the way down to 13, and her imaging showed no signs of cancer. She was declared NED in November 2025 and has been on Lynparza + Avastin for maintenance therapy.
Fast forward to March 2026 and her CA125 started a slow trend up from 13 -> 20s -> 40s (now stable at 40 for last 2 draws). She just had a PET scan last week which showed increased uptake in her right pelvic lymph node and in 2 small areas on her omentum and mesentery. Dr. believes that we are in the early stages of recurrence with really low tumor burden and slow progression for now. He suspects platinum resistance since the recurrence was very early, and mentioned that he thinks she could be a good candidate for the CATALINA-2 trial if her biopsy comes back positive with the specific protein the drug targets.
I’m curious if anyone has any successes from clinical trials for late stage ovarian cancer, or if there is any other treatment types I should ask about.
Thanks!
Hi ! I am new to reddit and this page! I am two and half years into my diagnosis and would love to chat about where other low graders are at in treatment and mindset regarding a palliative diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with stage 4B LGOC in 2023. I was 24 at the time. I found out in the ER after having gone in for bloating, frequent urinating, pelvic pain and constant swinging between constipation and diarrhea. Three weeks after I found out about my cancer, I was in surgery for a total hysterectomy, oophorectomy and partial colectomy. In surgery, they found my cancer had spread to my liver, diaphragm and spleen. After recovery, I did 6 round of carbo and paxi. The first three showed some improvements in tumor sizes, but the last three showed no movement. Then, I was on anastrazole with the hope of cutting even more estrogen from my body. 4 months later, scans showed growth. We switched to an oral medication called Trametinib/Mekanist. From my understanding, this pathway of treatment is the only one tested exclusively on low grade ovarian patients. 5 months later, the drug had kept me at neutral but my liver enzymes, UTI symptoms and the rash acne all over my face made us discontinue treatment. We switched back to traditional chemo. For the following 7 months, I took Caelyx/Doxorubucin in combination with bevacizumab. This duo helped me stay "dry" (no ascites) but the caelyx caused major MAJOR damage to the skin of the palms of my hands. I had to discontinue treatment. We then moved on to an hormone suppressant called Tamoxifen which is a sister drug to anastrazole. Same as with anastrazole, scans showed a big increase in disease and I had to go back to regular drains for a while. Most recently, I was on Topotecan and bevacizumab followed by beva alone for a handful of sessions.
I am situated in Alberta, Canada and it seems as though I have tried all standardized treatments generally used for ovarian cancer. There have been talks of Elahere/Mirvetuximab soravtansine being approved by Health Canada and slowly making its way into provinces. I've been deemed folate positive and a potential candidate for it. But.. it has only been tested in HGOC and the eye side effects scare me. Should I turn to a more LGOC route? Is it time to try more experimental treatments? Please share whatever you or a loved one has experienced.
I am prepared for the worst (recurrence/chemo) but slightly hopeful that there is another explanation for my crazy CA125 spike. Either way, my PET CT is next Wed (5/13).
In 12/25 I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis after two CT scans revealed lymph nodes in my chest, and biopsies determined they were benign sarcoid granulomas. I had a follow up PET Ct in February that was clear.
In addition to sarcoidosis, which can mimic cancer cells and falsely elevate CA125, I have a huge ventral hernia (surgery scheduled for 20 July), gastritis, IBS, had a two-part bilateral mastectomy (Dec and Mar 2026) and was overseas for 9 days three days prior to my bloodwork.
My onc is out of town but my PA said that she has seen crazy CA125 spikes and clear PETs. Am I wrong to be a little hopeful? (For context, been NED since 1/23, and first diagnosed with OC in 8/22)