My 19-year-old daughter Kate died of a rare ovarian cancer called primary ovarian mucinous adenocarcinoma on May 23, 2024. There are no definite screening tests for her cancer since cancer antigens like CA125 are often normal, and ultrasound imaging can fail to distinguish malignant cysts from the more common, benign mucinous adenoma. Assuming her large cyst was benign, her gynecologist performed a laparoscopic cystectomy which spread cells inside her abdomen and upstaged her cancer to stage 3 at the staging surgery. Gynecologists aim to preserve the ovary of young women, yet mucinous ovarian cancer affects younger women compared to the other ovarian cancers. It is terrible that there is no way to fully know that an ovarian cyst may be cancerous until the pathology results. Liquid biopsy is the future and needs more funding to continue its research goals.
My 19-year-old daughter Kate died of a rare ovarian cancer called primary ovarian mucinous adenocarcinoma on May 23, 2024. There are no definite screening tests for her cancer since cancer antigens like CA125 are often normal, and ultrasound imaging can fail to distinguish malignant cysts from the more common, benign mucinous adenoma. Assuming her large cyst was benign, her gynecologist performed a laparoscopic cystectomy which spread cells inside her abdomen and upstaged her cancer to stage 3 at the staging surgery. Gynecologists aim to preserve the ovary of young women, yet mucinous ovarian cancer affects younger women compared to the other ovarian cancers. It is terrible that there is no way to fully know that an ovarian cyst may be cancerous until the pathology results. Liquid biopsy is the future and needs more funding to continue its research goals.