For years, physicians have known that treating cancer in people with mutated genes, particularly those with damaged BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, is especially challenging. A relatively new therapy, poly-(ADP ribose)-polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, is gaining widespread use and providing life-prolonging outcomes in patients with mutated genes.
Oncologists at the Patricia Lynch Cancer Center at Holy Name have been using PARP inhibitors for the last several years. It is a form of targeted therapy that inhibits or stops cancer cells from repairing themselves, which leads to the death of the cells. As a result, PARP inhibitors help to shrink tumors.
At any given time, cells throughout the body can grow exponentially and become cancerous. In most people, genes such as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes work to fix these errant cells before they spread and become cancerous. But when these genes are mutated and don't function properly, the cancerous cells continue to multiply, enabling the cancer to advance.
PARP inhibitors have been especially effective in expanding survivorship in people with ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers. They are also starting to be used in the treatment of advanced breast and prostate cancers. In most cases, these medications are given for maintenance but can also be used with other therapies during treatment.
The Patricia Lynch Cancer Center provides the most advanced care to every patient. Here are some of their stories.
The news was terrifying - Jane Martinez was 29 years old, the mother of a young son and she had cervical cancer. She was told the disease was severe, requiring a radical hysterectomy, and she was...
Read Jane's full storyWhen Deyka Torres was told she had cancer, she was scared, really scared. Immediately, she had two thoughts, "Am I going to die from this? And if not, what do I have to do to get better? Deyka was 37 years old, a mother of three,...
Read Deyka's full storyLindita Peposhi had a weird pain on the right side of her abdomen. It wasn't sharp like appendicitis and it wasn't debilitating, but she wanted it checked. A doctor prescribed an antibiotic...
Read Lindita's full storyWhen Dana Calbi learned she had ovarian cancer, she immediately headed to one of the big academic hospitals in New York City. She was encouraged by the wealth of expertise it offered...
Read Dana's full storyThey are a close, extended family of sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles. They share vacations and holidays, burdens and joys. But they also have an expansive history of cancer: one sister had uterine cancer,...
Read Gannon's full storyLaura Mack was making ends meet by bartending after losing her banking job but she was eating all the wrong things at all the wrong times. She put 30 pounds on her athletic frame...
Read Laura's full storyJeanette McGill believes through her faith in God, that she is a miracle. From the day she was diagnosed with...
Read Jeanette's full storyIn the field of medicine, the most obvious diagnosis is often accurate – a sore throat is usually a respiratory illness, a mass on an ovary is likely to be ovarian cancer. But, as Suzanne Klausner found out, this...
Read Suzanne's full storyA cancer journey is never easy but Karen Riedel's was particularly arduous. Before things turned around, she was hospitalized for nearly two months and came close to dying. But Karen...
Read Karen's full storyAt 76, Cecilia Pappas has been through a lot – intense, challenging times that might have made others give up. She didn't, and now she's living a fulfilling life even though she has ovarian cancer, a disease...
Read Cecilia's full storyDarlene Smith knew something was wrong, probably something serious, but she didn't have medical insurance so she put off going to the doctor. Then fate intervened and took the timing right out of her hands...
Read Darlene's full storyDon't give up. Ever. Ms. Soon Kim believes it, lives it and shares the philosophy with those she meets facing a hard time. For nearly three years, Ms. Kim had been suffering with random, unexplainable pain. She had...
Read Soon's full storyAs people across the country learn to adapt to a new normal within the coronavirus pandemic, Donna...
Read Donna's full storyFew people travel a straight path when dealing with serious illnesses. There are almost always ups...
Read Theresa's full storyEvery cancer patient is unique and each journey evolves on different paths. But Jennifer Reeves’ story is
Read Jennifer's full storyIn the past, when Margaret Rovell saw friends or family members with cancer, she wondered what she would do if she ever developed the disease. Would she let nature take its course? “I’ve seen a lot of...
Read Margaret's full storyBreast cancer was rampant in Mary Jane Bisanzo's family – eight loved ones including her mother, brother, maternal uncle, aunts and cousins had all been diagnosed with the disease. Their doctors suggested...
Read Mary's full storyShe is used to zipping through the rooms in her home, the grocery store, her yard, wherever she is to get
Read Mattie's full storyFew people would consider a world-wide shutdown due to the COVID pandemic a good thing when it comes to a cancer diagnosis, but that’s exactly how Maureen Frazer sees it.
Read Maureen's full storyStandard chemotherapy fell short in treating Rebecka Hess’ ovarian cancer – the disease returned with a vengeance. Now, she’s receiving specialized medication through a clinical trial at...
Read Rebecka's full story