Advocating for Patient-Centered Ovarian Cancer Care
Broadway actress Valisia LeKae, 46, who starred in “Motown: The Musical,” was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 34 years old. While researching her diagnosis and potential treatments, she realized how important it is to have women of color in the resource material.
The five-year relative survival for ovarian cancer is worse for Black women, at 41%, compared with 48% for white women, and survival is worse for Black women than any other racial group at both early and late stages, according to research published in the medical journal “Cancer Causes & Control” in 2022.
Among the reasons for the added disparity are “socioeconomic and access-to-healthcare factors further widening the racial disparity in ovarian cancer.”
“Ovarian cancer does not have any specific symptoms,” says Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, which is why persistent bloating, pelvic pain, digestive changes, or feeling full quickly should be discussed with a doctor.
This year, ovarian cancer treatment advances include a new immunotherapy option (Keytruda): Approved for certain ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancers that have stopped responding to platinum chemo — specifically for tumors testing positive for a marker called PD-L1
A new drug called Lifyorli: Approved for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, offering patients another treatment option with a different way of working in the body
Broadway actress Valisia LeKae, 46, who is also a therapist, says that after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 34, one thing stood out to her as she desperately sought answers to her growing list of questions.
“I couldn’t find women who looked like me in the resources I turned to. No women of color. No women under 40. That stayed with me,” LeKae said in an Instagram post.
LeKae explains to “BlackDoctor,” a media resource focused on health information for Black communities, that she was performing “Motown: The Musical,” starring as singing sensation Diana Ross, when she was diagnosed. She admits part of her shock stemmed from her strict routine of getting regular checkups.
“What I remember most is really just being shocked because I was very young, and at the time, there were no faces that looked like me in any of the resources—websites, pamphlets, none of it,” LeKae explained.
Through her research, LeKae learned how much ovarian cancer’s subtle symptoms mimic a woman’s typical menstrual cycle.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: Valisia Lekae attending the Broadway Opening Night Performance of ‘Of Mice and Men’ at the Longacre Theatre on April 16, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Walter McBride/WireImage)
“Ovarian cancer symptoms are similar to when you’re menstruating, so it can feel like you’re having menstrual cramps or bloating. But I’m always encouraging women, when those symptoms are lasting a little bit too long, maybe have that conversation with your doctor,” LeKae advises.
She hopes by speaking more openly about her experience, she can become a powerful advocate for other women, especially women of color diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
The five-year relative survival for ovarian cancer is worse for Black women, at 41%, compared with 48% for white women, and survival is worse for Black women than any other racial group at both early and late stages, according to research published in the medical journal “Cancer Causes & Control” in 2022.
Among the reasons for the added disparity are “socioeconomic and access-to-healthcare factors further widening the racial disparity in ovarian cancer.”
“I’m really excited, as a Black woman, as a healthy young Black woman, as a woman who’s been in remission for 13 years, to get out there and talk more about this,” LeKae said.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 08: Actress Valisia LeKae attends the 2013 Tony Awards Eve Cocktail Party at Luggo Caffe on June 8, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
Advancements In Ovarian Cancer Care
This year, ovarian cancer saw some treatment advances.
The FDA approved pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab/berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph plus paclitaxel, with or without bevacizumab, for PD-L1–positive (combined positive score of 1 or higher) platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma following 1 to 2 previous therapies. This was based on the phase 3 KEYNOTE-B96 trial, where pembrolizumab significantly improved median overall survival to 18.2 months versus 14.0 months with placebo.
The FDA also approved relacorilant (brand name Lifyorli) in combination with nab-paclitaxel, introducing a new option for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC), one notable for its efficacy signal, mechanism, and broad applicability. The approval adds a welcome new option where there previously were few.
Dr. Premal Thaker, a gynecologic oncologist at Washington University, says, “In February 2026, the FDA approved the Keynote B96 treatment regimen of weekly taxol, pembrolizumab, and bevacizumab for PROC patients with CPS>1. Now we have a tumor-agnostic option for PROC patients with the use of weekly nab-paclitaxel and relacorilant.”
One of the most clinically relevant aspects of Lifyorli is its lack of biomarker dependence, Dr. Dana Chase, Program Director at the Division of Gynecologic Oncology Department at UCLA, tells SurvivorNet Connect.
“This is a treatment that does not rely on a biomarker, meaning more patients can have access to it,” Dr. Chase adds.
What to Know About Ovarian Cancer Symptoms and Genetic Testing
Ovarian cancer often doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms until it has already reached its late stages, and the symptoms that do appear early on are easy to mistake for something else.
“Ovarian cancer does not have any specific symptoms,” Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, told SurvivorNet.
WATCH: Spotting Ovarian Cancer Symptoms
The symptoms of ovarian cancer may include the following, according to SurvivorNet experts.
A feeling of bloating or fullness
Pain in the pelvis or abdomen
Nausea
Vomiting
Changes in bowel habits
Genetic testing—analyzing a patient’s DNA or biopsy tissue—can reveal critical insights about cancer: how it forms, how it behaves, and how best to treat it.
“There are certain cancer-causing genes that can be passed down from generation to generation,” explains Dr. Derrick Haslem, the director of medical oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.
As researchers uncover more about these inherited mutations, they’re not only pinpointing who might be most at risk—they’re also refining how cancers are detected and treated.
When it comes to ovarian cancer, this information is especially vital.
WATCH: What genetic testing reveals about your cancer?
“There are a lot of mutations that put people at a higher risk for ovarian cancer,” says Dr. Haslem. That’s why your medical team asks about your family history—because genetic red flags can run in families. “If you have a family history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer, that’s a really important thing to bring up with your healthcare provider.”
Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are among the most common genetic links to ovarian cancer. Another factor, homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), can occur in women with BRCA mutations and further disrupts the cells’ ability to repair their DNA.
If you do have a strong family history, your doctor may recommend testing for BRCA mutations or other inherited syndromes like Lynch syndrome, which can also increase risk for ovarian, colorectal, and breast cancers.
Sometimes, testing positive for a high-risk mutation may lead to conversations about preventive steps. “If you were tested and you had that gene, then somebody might talk to you about prophylactic surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes,” says Dr. Haslem. This kind of preventive surgery can significantly reduce future cancer risk in those genetically predisposed.
Beyond risk assessment, genetic findings also guide treatment. “Certain chemotherapies and targeted therapies are much more effective in those types of cases,” Dr. Haslem adds. For example, PARP inhibitors—designed to block DNA repair in cancer cells—have shown strong results in patients with BRCA mutations and HRD.
Ultimately, genetic testing isn’t just about knowing your risk—it’s a tool that helps tailor treatment and potentially saves lives.
Ovarian Cancer Recurrence and Treatments to Help
Ovarian cancer recurrence happens in “almost 25 percent of cases with early-stage disease and in more than 80 percent with more advanced stages,” according to research published in the medical journal Gland Surgery. With recurrence a strong possibility for this disease, especially in the later stages of ovarian cancer, certain drug treatments to deal with it are giving many women hope.
Ovarian cancer is sub-categorized into two groups.
Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer: Your cancer does not return for more than six months after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapies, like carboplatin and cisplatin.
Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer: Your cancer returns within six months of treatment with platinum-based chemotherapies, like carboplatin and cisplatin.
“The mechanism that causes platinum resistance will cause someone to be resistant to other chemotherapies, as well. That’s why we’re looking for what we call targeted therapies – precision medicine,” Dr. Noelle Cloven from Texas Oncology-Fort Worth Cancer Center explained.
Targeted therapies, or precision medicine, specifically target the proteins that control cancer cells’ growth, division, and spread.
Maintenance Therapy for Ovarian Cancer
Maintenance therapy plays a critical role in helping ovarian cancer patients stay in remission after completing their initial treatment, which often includes surgery and chemotherapy.
“Maintenance therapy is continued treatment after the patient finishes their initial treatment,” explains Dr. Alpa Nick, a gynecologic oncologist with Tennessee Oncology in Nashville.
WATCH: PARP inhibitors are now options as part of ovarian cancer treatment for a growing number of women.
One common form of maintenance therapy is a daily oral medication known as a PARP inhibitor, which works by preventing cancer cells from repairing their DNA.
“The biggest question is: How do you choose between bevacizumab (brand name, Avastin) or a PARP inhibitor for maintenance therapy?” Dr. Nick says.
Both are effective options, but they take very different approaches. While PARP inhibitors target cancer cells’ internal repair systems, Avastin works externally by blocking new blood vessel growth, essentially starving tumors of the nourishment they need.
Genetic testing is key to determining which treatment is most effective. “When patients have their surgery, we can test their tumor to decide if their tumor has a homologous recombination deficiency (HRD),” says Dr. Nick. If HRD is present, patients are more likely to benefit from PARP inhibitors.
Some women may be candidates for a combination approach. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Avastin in combination with olaparib (brand name Lynparza) for women with HRD-positive tumors who respond to platinum-based chemotherapy.
This pairing increased progression-free survival in clinical trials from 17 to 37 months. “A patient really has to make a decision upfront, or near the beginning of their treatment, that they want bevacizumab maintenance treatment because they’ll have it with their primary chemotherapy,” adds Dr. Nick.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines now recommend that PARP inhibitors be offered to women newly diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer, regardless of their genetic status, if they’ve responded well to chemotherapy.
Meanwhile, another breakthrough therapy is offering new hope for patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: Elahere (mirvetuximab). This targeted treatment is designed for women who test positive for high levels of folate receptor-alpha (FRα), a molecular marker found on some ovarian cancer cells.
“What that means is that the antibody part of the drug conjugate binds to the folate receptor on the tumor cells, and then that gets taken up into the tumor cell,” says Dr. Lyons.
“And then the drug that is conjugated with is the part that actually kills the tumor cells, by affecting the tumor cells’ ability to divide.” Often described as “biological missiles,” these antibody-drug conjugates are ushering in a new age of precision therapy.
Ovarian Cancer Recurrence
When cancer returns, it is referred to as recurrence. It often occurs because some cancer cells are left behind after treatment. Those cells grow over time and are eventually detected in follow-up scans received by patients in remission.
Ovarian cancer patients faced with a recurrence will likely need to restart chemotherapy or consider another surgical procedure.
WATCH: Ovarian cancer recurrence.
The type of treatment recommended for recurrence can depend on several factors:
The period within which the cancer recurred
The kind of chemotherapy the woman underwent in the past
Side effects that came as a result of past treatments
The length of time between the last treatment the woman underwent and the recurrence
The specific mutations and molecular features of your cancer
If a woman’s time between remission and recurrence is more than six months, then the ovarian cancer is categorized as “platinum-sensitive” (that is, responsive to a platinum-based chemotherapy treatment), and that patient will be treated with chemotherapy and another platinum-based drug.
If the recurrence happens less than six months into remission, the ovarian cancer is classified as “platinum-resistant.” At that point, women are usually treated with another type of chemotherapy and encouraged to enter into a clinical trial. Alternatively, women might be platinum-refractory, which refers to a disease that grows while the patient is on chemotherapy and has a particularly poor prognosis.
Determining the probability that a woman’s cancer will recur depends on the stage at which she was initially diagnosed. According to most data:
Women with stage 1 ovarian cancer have a 10 percent chance of recurrence.
Women in stage 2 have a 30 percent chance of recurrence.
Women in stage 3 have a 70 to 90 percent chance of recurrence.
Women in stage 4 have a 90 to 95 percent chance of recurrence.
WATCH: Clinical trials can be life-saving.
Clinical trials are an option for women facing ovarian cancer with a high probability of recurrence. If you fall into this category, ask your doctor about possible eligibility for a clinical trial.
Clinical trials help doctors better understand cancer and discover more effective treatment methods. They also allow patients to try a treatment before it’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a potentially life-changing option.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and need guidance to further educate yourself on the disease and treatment, consider these questions for your doctor.
What type of ovarian cancer do I have?
What stage is my cancer in?
Do you recommend I get genetic testing for any gene mutations, such as BRCA mutations?
What initial treatment options do you recommend?
What are the possible side effects of the recommended treatment, and how can they be coped with?
Will insurance help cover my recommended treatment?
