A woman has revealed the one critical sign that inspired her to get a second opinion after being informed that her cancer hadn't come back.
Many years after she'd passed through the menopause, Alla Feldbeyn was surprised to find herself dealing with vaginal bleeding. She was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 1 endometrial cancer, which develops in the uterus' lining.
Doctors removed her uterus before promising Feldbeyn that neither chemotherapy nor radiation was necessary - the hysterectomy was enough to cure her. Two years later, though, she couldn't stop coughing and a strange pain was plaguing the side of her body.
Believing that something was going on with her gallbladder, Feldbeyn discovered that her lungs were covered in red blotches.
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The now-68-year-old's doctor suggested a different form of cancer was responsible, and to make matters worse his office repeatedly rescheduled her appointments.
Unhappy with the situation, Feldbeyn was referred to Dr. Brian Slomovitz instead, the director of gynaecological oncology at Miami's Mount Sinai Medical Center.
"[The appointment] was Thursday, and on Tuesday, I already started chemo," she told The New York Post.
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The endometrial cancer had spread to her lungs - she was now Stage 4. Following lung surgery and a three-month spell of chemo, Feldbeyn joined a clinical trial evaluating an oral medication known as selinexor.
When nothing came of it, she dropped out of the trial in the autumn of 2023.
Fast-forward to 2024, and the patient got involved with another trial, this time assessing non-chemotherapeutic treatments for endometrial cancer.
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Dr. Slomovitz went on to share: "In the past, hormonal therapy by itself has been used for the treatment of this disease. However, the response rates are relatively low, and the duration of response is only a couple of months."
For this trial, Feldbeyn had to take hormonal medication letrozole every single day and receive infusions of Nab-sirolimus three times per month.
"The agent that we’re looking at now, Nab-sirolimus, has yet to be studied in women with endometrial cancer", Slomovitz added. "The 'nab-' drug delivery system is better than traditional methods because it increases effectiveness and reduces severe side effects."
A year in, Feldbeyn has experienced multiple side effects; from nosebleeds to itching, to coughing, high cholesterol and fatigue, yet the cancer hasn't gotten any worse.
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Slomovitz reflected: "The great news about Alla is not only her response to the therapy, but she’s definitely maintaining her quality of life.
"She and her husband love to take cruises and they go on many trips each year. For the clinician taking care of her, this is very satisfying and what we want of our patients."
Feldbeyn claimed she loves being a 'guinea pig', because it 'can save a bunch of other people's lives' as well as her own.
Dan Seddon