GYN Cancer

I was diagnosed in 2008 with stage III ovarian cancer. Fortunately, prior to my surgery, one of my physicians referred me to Dr. Robert Nagourney at Rational Therapeutics, where I could arrange to have a portion of my tumor taken during surgery and sent to the laboratory for an analysis of it’s sensitivity to identify the most effective chemo drugs.

The results of the assay were different from the chemo drugs my oncologist planned to give me—the ones that she gave all her ovarian cancer patients. Although she was reluctant to give me something that was different from what she routinely administered, she finally agreed to give me what the assay showed was the most effective treatment. Within a year of my surgery, I was officially in remission.

I am so thankful I was referred to Dr. Nagourney and Rational Therapeutics. I believe the failure of chemotherapy in many instances is due to drugs given that are a poor match to the tumor’s sensitivity. It seems to me that tumor assays for drug sensitivity should be a routine procedure before chemotherapy treatment begins.

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