184: Tina Calderone-Roth survived ovarian cancer | bilateral oophorectomy | avastin | ascites | lynparza

In May 2022, Tina Calderone-Roth felt terrible. She was experiencing fatigue, shortness of breath and nausea.  She also gained close to 15 pounds in three days.  Nurses she knew suggested she go to the emergency department.  Two paracentesis procedures resulted in the removal of 6.5 liters of fluid.  Doctors initially noticed a large abdominal mass, but further tests indicated ovarian masses of 7cm and 10cm.  Tests also showed Tina had the BRCA-2 gene mutation.  She opted to, all at once, undergo a hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy.  A week after the procedure, it was learned there had been Stage 1B cancer in both ovaries.  Tina was next put on six rounds of chemotherapy with carbo-taxol, avastin and the PARP inhibitor, lynparaza.  Because of the BRCA-2 gene mutation and with it, the possibility of breast, she decided to get a bilateral mastectomy.  Tina reached survivorship and these days, while she can no longer run, she can jog and power walk.    Tina had been working for more than two decades in the care management sector of health care in 2022, when her health took a sudden turn for the worse.  She was feeling unusually tired, had shortness of breath and her weight shot up by 15 pounds in three days.  She had no idea what was going on, but consulted friends who were nurses, and they suggested she go to the emergency department, which she did in the middle of a workday.   Tina underwent a CT scan, ultrasound, electrocardiogram, blood work and genetic testing.  A subsequent pair of paracentesis procedure removed a combined 6.5 liters of fluid, which explained her sudden, sharp weight gain.  Those tests also showed she had a large abdominal mass. Further tests were conducted and they revealed two large ovarian masses, measuring roughly 7cm and 10cm.  Meanwhile, the genetic testing revealed Tina had the BRCA-2 gene mutation.  She did not want to have multiple surgeries, so she elected to have a hysterectomy along with the removal of both ovaries.  About a week later, it was determined the ovaries were cancerous.   She and her care team settled on a six-round chemotherapy regimen of carbo-taxol, avastin and the PARP inhibitor, lynparaza.  Like many dealing with chemotherapy, Tina was fatigued, had nausea and suffered hair loss, but got through it.  She was still concerned about the possibility of being diagnosed with breast cancer because of the gene mutation, so she decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy.   If Tina Calderone-Roth's health before her diagnosis could be considered 100 percent, these days she considers her health to be at 90 percent.  While she can no longer run, Tina says she can jog and power walk.   Additional Resources:   Tina's Book:   "Where Fears Meets Faith," available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, in paperback and Kindle