Like many women undergoing treatment, Leslie
Andrus is pursuing every possible option. With her family by her
side, this is Leslie’s story.
My name is Leslie Andrus and I just turned 42 years old. I was
first diagnosed with this disease in April of 2022. I have two daughters, ages
11 and 14. I am determined to fight to find better treatment options. I want to
show this cancer who is boss and keep outliving it! And I want to be here to
watch my daughters grow up.
The Diagnosis and Journey
When I was first diagnosed, I had been experiencing extreme
digestive symptoms, especially constipation and bloating. I was not able to
resolve them through diet and over-the-counter medications over the course of a
week.
I had had back-to-back date nights with my husband and blamed
it on eating heavier meals than I usually do. In the second week, however, the
distention in my stomach continued, and I reached out to my primary care
physician. Thankfully, she ordered an ultrasound right away.
The ultrasound showed a suspicious mass on my left ovary. After
a follow-up CT scan, the mass was confirmed to be cancer. I saw a gynecologic
oncologist to go over those results the following week. He immediately sent me
home to pack and return to the hospital for surgery. By the time they operated,
the mass was estimated to be 14 cm in size and had ruptured.
I live in the Dallas, Texas area and my original goal was to
receive my treatment here, while continuing to be followed by my oncologist,
Dr. Aaron Shafer, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But it became too
difficult to coordinate the records and appointments between the two cancer
centers. So, I am now going to MD Anderson exclusively for treatments.
Treating a Recurrence
After failing the HI-MOC clinical trial* at MD Anderson last
June, I am currently on Enhertu for my MOC recurrence. (Enhertu has been
showing promise in treating some forms of ovarian cancer for patients who are
HER2-positive.) I am so very grateful for Dr. Shafer and his expertise! He just
told me about another Phase 1 trial last week that he is looking at. It’s
another option that targets the HER2 marker. But for now, I’m staying the
course with my current treatment.
* Secondary
Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) for
Recurrent Mucinous Ovarian Cancer (HI-MOC Study)
