What are our options?

My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after having a ventral hernia repair  and a piece of omentum they sent to pathology was positive for cancer. That was 2 years ago and she was in stage 4 at that time. The doctors put her on the taxiol and carbo combination and she had all the bad side effects from that, the numbness in the hands and feet, hair loss, fluid build up etc. They then used Doxil and it almost killed her literally, so that was stopped. She went on an oral pill for awhile that did nothing and her cancer count rose no it rocketed. She was then placed on Gemzar that worked well for several months but now her CA 125 is climbing again. In one week it went from 97 to 197. I am not sure what they are planning next but I know her PET scan has showed new tumors around the liver, not on it yet, a very large tumor across the abdoman (transverse) under the navel area, and one in the soft tissue in the rib area. Her cancer is growing extremely fast and she is still driving, taking care of herself, cooking, maintaining her weight (for now), she has no fluid accumulation yet in her abdoman, and her color is wonderful. AND her attitude is absolutely the BEST. Mine on the other hand is not. I try to stay up as she does but my mom has accepted her fate. She is a fighter and not ready to give up yet I don't think. I was wondering what was done when these traditional treatments have failed and things look so grim.

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,
It sounds like your mother has been treated very appropriately. You should set up a family meeting with her medical team to go over these very important questions. There are many important points to raise such as what her wishes are. Who is her healthcare proxy? What about resuscitation?

When does one stop chemo and do palliative care?

It is really helpful to have an open dialogue about these issues so that you can be sure that you can help your mother do what she wants to do
best wishes