A Decade of Resilience: My 10-Year Journey Battling Ovarian Cancer

In January 2024, I joyfully celebrate the 10th anniversary of my ovarian cancer diagnosis. Ten years, 520 weeks, have flown by. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Chi-Feng Hung and Dr. Chi-Feng Chung for their long-term care, and to Dr. Cheng Jen Wang for successfully implanting the Port A catheter three times over eight years, allowing me to undergo chemotherapy smoothly. These doctors, who appear more than a decade younger than me, have given me hope for another five, or even ten years, to continue receiving care from them and other dedicated medical professionals at Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center.

Given my parents survived over 20 years after their initial cancer diagnoses, I hope to fight cancer for 20 years as well. Therefore, I have avoided risky surgeries, experimental treatments, and costly targeted drugs.

Multiple studies emphasize that repeated surgical removal of abdominal tumors is crucial for long-term survival in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), a type prone to peritoneal implantation metastasis. I am part of the majority group in this statistic. I am immensely thankful to Dr. Hung for performing three debulking surgeries, significantly enhancing my long-term cancer survival prospects. Dr. Hung’s conservative approach prioritizes safety, avoiding over-treatment and experimental procedures like hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which poses significant risks such as heart attacks or severe bowel damage.

Thanks to Dr. Chung’s efforts over the past decade in tailoring my chemotherapy, my cancer has been effectively managed. Initially resistant to chemotherapy, I eventually accepted it upon learning about anti-nausea medications that mitigate the side effects. Dr. Chung allowed me to continue working by administering weekly doses of paclitaxel until my retirement two years ago, after which I resumed standard three-week cycles. Monthly cancer marker tracking has allowed timely interventions, preventing metastasis to vital organs. Despite increasing allergic reactions, we developed a desensitization protocol that enables continued use of effective first-line drugs.

Financial burden is a significant concern for many patients using self-funded targeted drugs. I am fortunate that National Health Insurance-covered medications have effectively managed my cancer without additional financial strain.

The attached chart shows my CA125 cancer marker levels over the past ten years. While initial and recurrent surgeries were necessary due to tumor size, subsequent recurrences have been managed with chemotherapy, avoiding further surgeries. This dynamic equilibrium in my condition, despite periodic intestinal obstructions causing severe pain, is now better understood and managed through dietary adjustments and medication.

Given the potential for tumor growth to cause obstructions and increase metastasis risk, early chemotherapy initiation has been crucial. Dr. Chung advised that delayed chemotherapy often yields better outcomes, supported by my liver’s five-month regeneration cycle.

Recent research on TRIM 21, linked to my systemic dryness syndrome, suggests it may inhibit TP53 mutation-induced tumor spread. Thus, I have reduced my dryness syndrome medication to allow TRIM 21 to help control tumor dissemination.

Following my initial surgery, TP53 abnormalities indicated a high cancer risk, prompting vigilant monitoring and screenings. My current regimen of four months of chemotherapy every six months effectively targets potential new cancer cells in various organs, proving both efficient and economical.