Ovarian cancer: Consuelo Sáez’s story, a testimony that can save lives

1 in 3 women will develop cancer during their lifetime and 1 in 77 will develop some type of gynaecological cancer.

MEXICO: In 2022, Consuelo Sáez, a Mexican woman, began to have symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness; however, as she did not improve, she asked for a scan to look at the activity of her organs. Consuelo sought a second opinion from Dr. Marcela del Carmen of Massachusetts General Hospital, who discovered that it was ovarian cancer.

Noticing that something is wrong

What at first seemed to be a stomach problem in mid-2022 became a more complex situation for Consuelo. After numerous treatments without good results, her local doctor ordered a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan, which produces images of the patient’s body showing the activity of its organs.

Consuelo turned for a second opinion to Dr. Marcela del Carmen, a renowned specialist in the United States, President of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, and a gynaecologic oncology surgeon. On seeing the scan results, Dr. Del Carmen concluded: “This is undoubtedly ovarian cancer.”

The road to Mass General Hospital

Fortunately for Consuelo, she had known Dr. Marcela del Carmen and Mass General for some time, because her granddaughter has an autoimmune disease that could only be treated at the hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

During that process, Consuelo’s daughter had become good friends with Dr. del Carmen, whom she asked for a second opinion on her mother’s PET scan. With her

experience as the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed research papers and a book specialising in rare gynaecological cancers, Dr. Del Carmen had no doubt it was ovarian cancer, so she recommended that Consuelo be seen as an international patient as soon as possible at Massachusetts General Hospital, whose Cancer Center is ranked among the best in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Del Carmen also worked closely with Consuelo’s care team to ensure a smooth transition to Mass General Brigham.

According to global statistics, in the coming years 1 in 3 women will develop cancer during their lifetime and 1 in 77 will develop some type of gynaecological cancer.¹ In Mexico, ovarian cancer accounts for 4% of all cancers in women, with an estimated 5,000 new cases every year. A particular feature of this cancer is that it is hard to detect in its early stages, so its mortality rate is around 60%. ²

“The problem with early detection of ovarian cancer is that there is no screening test to detect it. When women have symptoms of this cancer, it is already at an advanced stage in around 85% of cases,” says Dr. Del Carmen.

“In Consuelo’s case, the cancer was not very extensive; fortunately, she had the PET scan in time in Mexico, which allowed us to catch it early and start treatment as soon as possible,” she said.

Successful ovarian tumour surgery

Dr. Del Carmen explains that ovarian cancer treatment has 3 stages: surgery to remove the tumour, chemotherapy and then a follow-up and maintenance phase.

“In Consuelo’s case, it was open surgery involving a resection to remove all the cancer. The patient spent 6 days recovering in hospital, as Mass General has a protocol that helps patients prepare before and after operations,” says Dr. Del Carmen.

“Before the operation, they told me to drink a high-carbohydrate liquid to avoid dehydration and prevent complications. After the surgery, that same night, they told me to get up and walk 2 or 3 times a day.

“I went back to solid food straight away. This allowed me to recover in less than a week,” said patient Consuelo Sáez.

The next step was chemotherapy, which Dr. Del Carmen recommends starting no more than 25 days after surgery, because even when an operation is successful, some cells often remain in the lymphatic system and must be eliminated.

“I had my first chemotherapy three weeks after the operation. In total I had 6 rounds of chemotherapy, one every 3 weeks. I had 3 in Mexico and 3 at Mass General because I have enormous trust in the hospital’s doctors and nurses. At the end of the treatment, they did another scan to check I was cancer-free. Finally, they just prescribed me some pills for the maintenance phase,” says Consuelo.

During Consuelo’s treatment and stay in Boston, Dr. Del Carmen kept in close contact with her local doctors to update them on the patient’s progress.

New maintenance treatment

“Three years ago, ovarian cancer patients who finished their treatment moved into a surveillance stage in which they were seen every 3 months to check for relapses. Today we have made enormous progress and have a maintenance therapy based on PARP inhibitor pills. These inhibitors act on the repair of DNA damage and prevent cancer cells from repairing themselves, improving outcomes for patients who have had chemotherapy,” said Dr. Del Carmen. 

The specialist added that “the studies on the benefits of PARP inhibitors were developed in part by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is part of the Mass General Brigham system, and are based on a type of ovarian cancer mutation that matches Consuelo’s, making her a candidate for this treatment.”

“Today, PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy should be considered for eligible patients. In my more than 25 years of experience, it has been wonderful to see the progress in treatments and medical technology. Research has given us new tools to improve patients’ survival and wellbeing,” said Dr. Del Carmen.

Getting back to normal life

Thanks to this innovative treatment, Consuelo has been able to return to her normal lifestyle, taking her medication, attending regular check-ups and having blood tests and scans during the two years of maintenance treatment.

After that, she will need tests and an appointment once a year for 3 more years, with the aim that, after 5 years of treatment, she will be completely cancer-free.

“It’s a long process, but studies show that better results can be achieved with the support of family, as emotions play an important role. That’s also why, as doctors at Mass General, we focus on providing compassionate care to our patients. I was fortunate to meet Consuelo and today we are very good friends. We must remember that we are not treating cancer, but women with cancer,” Dr. Del Carmen concluded.