Patient Testimonials - Brigitte

Patient Testimonials
Brigitte,
a Patient at Gustave Roussy

I’m 61 years old and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016. At the time, I was being treated in Chartres because I live in the countryside.

I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer by chance because a lymph node in my groin suddenly swelled up. Ovarian cancer is a “silent” cancer. I have no genetic risk factors. At the time of my diagnosis, I was already in stage 4 with peritoneal involvement.

I then began chemotherapy, and very quickly, in 2017, I was taken under the care of Dr. Leary’s team at Gustave Roussy. I had my first surgery, during which my ovaries, uterus, spleen, and peritoneum were removed. I then enrolled in a clinical trial, the Paolo trial, where I received post-cancer maintenance therapy from 2017 to 2019. It consisted of a monoclonal antibody combined with a targeted therapy, olaparib.

In 2022, my cancer recurred. I underwent surgery in 2022 in Villejuif, where lymph nodes under my collarbone were removed.

And since April 2023, I’ve been participating in a clinical trial—the TEDOVA trial—which involves administering the TEDOPI vaccine in combination with immunotherapy. I’m also receiving tumor-suppressing chemotherapy.

At first, I received this vaccine every three weeks; now it’s every six weeks. I’m currently in remission but will remain on treatment until April 2025. I’m experiencing some side effects, including pain at the injection site and muscle pain.

I trust science, and I have complete confidence in Dr. Leary. Joining a clinical trial is inevitably scary, but the people at Gustave Roussy are wonderful.

In 2021, I had run out of treatment options—I was only on maintenance therapies—but I was lucky enough to be accepted into this clinical trial, both for myself and for others, to help advance research.

This vaccine worked on my lungs; I’m now testing it on my ovaries, and thanks to it, I’m in remission. The effect was immediate!

Today, I’m still afraid; waiting for my test results is always difficult. But I realize that doctors, too, are fighting to find solutions for their patients. It’s essential to accelerate research and to give—that’s the only way we’ll make faster progress.