Amid Ovarian Cancer Recurrence, Tennis Star Chris Evert, 71, Shares Sweet Photo With Fellow Champ & Cancer Survivor Björn Borg

“Every time I think of Wimbledon, I think of this guy. I know he’s battling cancer also, and I can’t wait to read his new book. I miss him,” she captioned the post, which featured a photo of herself and Borg dressed elegantly and smiling together.

The book Evert is referring to his “Heartbeats: A Memoir“—which Borg co-wrote with his wife Patricia Borg. The memoir, which was published last year, offered insight into his 2023 aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis.

RELATED: Just Like Battling McEnroe, “Iceman” Tennis Legend Bjorn Borg, 69, Is Beating ‘Extremely Aggressive’ Prostate Cancer

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A post shared by Chris Evert (@chrissieevert)

In an earlier interview with The Associated Press, Borg said, “I have nothing right now. But every six months I have to go and check myself. The whole process, it’s not a fun thing. But I’m OK. I’m fine. And I’m feeling very good.”

Borg underwent routine check ups for prostate cancer across “many years” until September 2023, when he was sent for followup testing, which revealed his diagnosis. He underwent surgery in February 2024.

RELATED: From Turbulence to Triumph: How Hope Helped Propel Climber & Pilot Joel Graybeal Through Advanced Prostate Cancer

It’s encouraging to see Evert drawing inspiration from a fellow tennis great. The two first officially met at the 1974 Roland-Garros (French Open) in Paris, where they each won their first Grand Slam singles title on the same day.

RELATED: Critical Questions. Trusted Answers. A New Wave of Cancer Patients Using SurvivorNet’s My Health AI Tools For Support

Borg previously told Britains national public service broadcaster BBC, “[The doctor] said, ‘But you have these sleeping cancer cells in your body.’ It’s going to be a fight in the future, and I hope I’m going to be okay.

“I might be okay, I might not be okay. So every six months, I go and test myself. And right now, I did my last test two weeks ago, so I’m okay. I take day by day, year by year, hopefully. It’s a thing you have to live with.”

RELATED: A Message Of Hope For Men Fighting Advanced Prostate Cancer

His perseverance through cancer has been inspiring, particularly to Evert, who recently shared that her ovarian cancer had returned. She revealed a few weeks back that she had already undergone surgery and would soon begin chemotherapy.

Evert was first diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2021. She ultimately underwent a preventative hysterectomy and chemotherapy before entering remission.

The U.S. Open champion, who won her first singles title nearly 51 years ago and lost her sister Jeanne Every to the same disease, is now facing her third battle with ovarian cancer.

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A post shared by Chris Evert (@chrissieevert)

In Evert’s social media post announcing her cancer recurrence, she wrote, “Ovarian cancer is relentless, but I will stay optimistic and determined in continuing to fight this battle.

“I am deeply grateful to my medical team, my family, friends and everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement. I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.”

Chris Evert’s Journey With The ‘Cancer That Whispers’

Chris Evert was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2022, entered remission after treatment, and later revealed the disease had returned in December 2023.

Known as the “cancer that whispers,” ovarian cancer often presents vague, easily overlooked symptoms, leading many women to receive diagnoses only in later stages.

RELATED: The Treatment Options For Tennis Great Chris Evert, 71, As Ovarian Cancer Returns: ‘I Will Stay Optimistic and Determined’

“Ovarian cancer does not have any specific symptoms,” Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.

“Feeling bloated, pelvic pain, changes in bowel habits—these are symptoms women may have every month, and they’re not very specific.”

“I wanted to give you all an update. My cancer is back,” Evert said on X in a joint post with ESPN, explaining why she would not be a part of ESPN’s 2024 Australian Open coverage.

“While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early.”

WATCH: The standard of care for initial treatment for ovarian cancer.

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

Many ovarian cancers are believed to originate in the fallopian tubes, where stray cancerous cells migrate to the ovaries and eventually form tumors.

WATCH: Should PARP Inhibitors Be Given to All Ovarian Cancer Patients?

It’s important to understand that many women have the option of maintenance therapy—a phase of treatment intended to delay recurrence and extend remission after initial care. This often includes options like PARP inhibitors, which block cancer cells from repairing themselves, or Avastin, which reduces blood flow to tumors.

Research published in the Journal of Hematology Oncology Pharmacy in 2024 shows that patients with inherited BRCA mutations (a gene mutation that increases the chance of breast and ovarian cancer) typically use PARP inhibitors for a median of 18.5 months, while those with tumor-specific (somatic) mutations stay on treatment slightly longer, around 20.1 months.

As Evert experiences another recurrence of ovarian cancer, it highlights that the disease can return even after successful treatment. This may happen when small numbers of cancer cells remain undetected after surgery or other therapies and later multiply enough to be found through follow-up monitoring.

Dr. Gillian Hsieh, gynecologic oncologist at Sutter Bay Medical Foundation in the Bay Area in California, previously told SurvivorNet, “For many patients, that relapse comes one to two years after they complete their first therapies.”

The changes of the cancer returning depends, in part, on its stage and grade. People who are diagnosed at stage I, when the cancer is confined to the ovaries, have a much lower chance of a recurrence than those who are diagnosed with a stage IV cancer, which has spread outside of the abdomen.

While a cancer’s stages are defined by location, the tumor’s grade describes its biology. A high-grade tumor has more abnormal cells, and tends to be more aggressive than a low-grade tumor, “and so it has a lot of opportunities to mutate and to overcome the effects of previously successful treatments,” Dr. Hsieh said.

Treating Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

For many women, platinum-based chemotherapy—often the first line of defense—remains effective across multiple cycles. But over time, cancer cells may adapt, and resistance can emerge after just one round or several.

Platinum Sensitivity vs. Resistance: What It Means for Treatment

• Platinum Sensitive: If a patient remains cancer-free for more than six months after platinum therapy, they’re considered platinum sensitive. This signals that the cancer is still responding, and doctors may continue using platinum-based drugs.
• Platinum Resistant: If recurrence occurs within six months, the cancer is classified as platinum resistant. In these cases, oncologists typically shift to alternative therapies tailored to overcome resistance.

Adjusting Chemotherapy Strategies

• Taxol (Paclitaxel): Commonly paired with platinum in initial treatment. For platinum-resistant patients, doctors may increase its frequency—administering it weekly instead of every three weeks.
• Other Options: Drugs like Gemzar (gemcitabine), Topotecan, and Doxil (liposomal doxorubicin) are often introduced, sometimes alongside Avastin (bevacizumab).

New Drug Elahere Offers Hope When Ovarian Cancer Returns & Stops Responding To Other Treatments

It’s unclear what medications Evert is on, but for women battling hard-to-treat ovarian cancer, it’s uplifting to know that the new drug Elahere is expanding the options for women, promising longer survival and and a healthy life.

Elahere is the first and only medication specifically designed to combat an aggressive and fast-spreading form of the disease known as folate receptor positive ovarian cancer which is a type of cancer that develops when cancer cells have an excessive amount of a protein called folate receptor alpha (FRα) on their surface. This protein acts like a gatekeeper, allowing vitamin B9 (folate) to enter into the cells.

When too much folate makes its way into cancerous cells, it fuels their growth and spread, while also making the cancer resistant to most treatments, especially chemotherapies containing platinum drugs. When this resistance occurs, doctors refer to the cancer as “platinum-resistant.”

Elahere is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) designed to target cancer cells that produce folate receptor alpha (FRα). The drug binds to FRα on the surface of these cells, interfering with signals that help support cancer growth and reproduction.

By targeting this receptor, Elahere limits the cancer cells’ ability to grow and divide while also disrupting their uptake of folate, a nutrient they rely on to support rapid growth. This targeted approach can weaken cancer cells and help slow disease progression.

How do you know if your cancer is folate receptor-positive?

An immunohistochemistry (IHC) test can determine whether a patient’s cancer has high levels of folate receptors, and while it is available at no cost for eligible U.S. patients, it is not routinely ordered, making it important to discuss with your care team whether testing may be appropriate for you.

Remember, early detection can significantly improve treatment outcomes.

Who qualifies for the free IHC test:

• Individuals with ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer
• Anyone getting treatment in the US or a US territory
• Patients who have not had this test before
• Patients whose doctor say the test is medically necessary

Two organizations offer this free test in Baltimore and elsewhere in the US:

• FR-ASSIST program: Partners with NeoGenomics and ImmunoGen offer free IHC testing for all eligible patients.
• Labcorp FR-ASSIST™ program: Provides complimentary FOLR1 IHC testing for qualifying individuals.

“Sometimes it’s on at the time of diagnosis for certain circumstances. Sometimes it’s done later on down the line. It can be variable. It is dependent on the treating physician when they choose to perform the testing,” Dr. Stephanie Gaillard, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

Understanding The Different Categories of Genetic Testing

For those patients with ovarian cancer curious about genetic testing to determine their risk of mutations, doctors can either refer them to genetic counselors who can conduct thorough family histories to talk about the risks and benefits and/or some doctors may discuss this with the patients themselves.

For germline (inherited) mutation testing, a blood or saliva test is often used. For somatic (non-inherited) mutation testing, tissue from the tumor will be tested in addition to the blood. The tumor tissue can be obtained from cancer tissue obtained either during surgery or from a biopsy. This tissue has to be obtained from the hospital or pathology lab where your surgery or biopsy was performed.

Dr. Erin Salinas previously told us that “with the newer indications for PARP inhibitors,” they’re often testing “all of their patients for germline mutations or inherited mutations specifically in BRCA.” Some doctors may also chose to test the tumors and/or patients for other mutations that may be similar to BRCA mutations.

These types of test are important as they can affect treatment choices and recommendations. For example, some patients may be better candidates for PARP inhibitors as maintenance or treatment.

Some family members might be interested in genetic testing for BRCA and other mutations. Should someone test positive, they can discuss with their doctors things such as chemo prevention using birth control pills and surgery to decrease risks of getting cancer.

While PARP inhibitors are available to almost all women, women with BRCA gene mutations or who are HRD proficient may benefit the most from these drugs. However, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released new guidelines recommending PARP inhibitors be offered to women, with or without genetic mutations, who are newly diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer and have improved with chemotherapy.

Categories Of Genetic Testing

There are two primary categories of genetic testing for ovarian cancer genetic testing: hereditary genetic testing and somatic genetic testing.

“Both of these categories are personalized medicine,” Sheryl Walker, a cancer genetic counselor at Genome Medical in Dallas, Texas,” told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

Hereditary genetic testing, Walker explains, looks for genetic mutations that are present in the whole body in order to better inform women of their own risks as well as the cancer risks that their family members may also have.

WATCH: What genetic testing reveals about your cancer?

“It doesn’t matter if we looked at a skin cell, a breast cell, a colon cell,” she explained. “We would find that mutation, that hereditary mutation that’s been passed generally from a parent to a child.”

The other category of genetic testing is called “somatic” genetic testing. It looks at the gene mutations present in the ovarian cancer tumor itself. These are the mutations — which oncologists call “driver mutations” — that can help to better inform a woman of her best available treatment options.

“And that makes sense,” Walker said. “Because we don’t want to just say, all right, we’re going to just throw this chemotherapy at every single ovarian cancer patient and hope that it works for everyone, because every person is different. Every cancer is different. Every tumor is different.”

Understanding Genetic Testing For Ovarian Cancer

Get Help From SurvivorNet’s ‘My Health Questions

If you or a loved one has received an ovarian cancer diagnosis, having the right questions ready can help you better understand your condition, treatment choices, and next steps with your doctor.

Patients and caregivers can also use SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool, “My Health Questions,” to help prepare personalized questions and better navigate conversations with their healthcare team.

You may want to ask the following questions:

• 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 the BRCA gene mutation?
• 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?

We Are So Much Stronger Than We Realize – Ovarian Cancer Survivor Helene Unger On How She Found the Strength to Fight

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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