I have been tracking data on Ovarian Cancer for some time because a friend's sister, here at work, was just diagnosed last month. The good news is she is responding to chemo and radiation very well. The new chemo drugs are very good. My wife has had Lung, brain and liver cancer and is now cancer free. This stuff really works!
There are several recommendations I can give that I hope will help:
1. Don't Panic..cancer can be treated and cured.
2. Discount the mortality statistics you find in articles about cancer.
3. Consider your mother a "bell shaped Curve" of one person.
4. Request Google automatic updates on "Ovarian Cancer'
5. Read and file these updates. Educate yourself on new developments.
6. Check web site "PubMed.com". Load "Ovarian Cancer" in Search box.
7. Check out supplements (CQ-10, Fish Oil, Green Tea, etc).
8. Check out Foods: Green Leafy veg's; Cranberry and Grape Juice.
9. Check out all forms of cure:
a. Chemo - Cisplatin, Taxotere, Carboplatin, Paclitaxel.
b. Medicines - Avastin, Tarceva
c. Radiation treatment - likely first treatment after chemo
d. Cyber Knife - likely secondary treatment (eliminates tumors)
e. Vaccines - Under development. A true "Cure" for cancer.
10. The "trick" for your mother will be to eliminate as much of the
ovarian cancer as possible with Chemo and radiation. There is
a good possibility she may see all the tumors either eliminated or
stabilized using these two treatments. If any tumors are left,
the newest gee-wiz device, the cyber knife, can "zap" the
holdouts and cause them to go away. Once the initial cancer
attack is squelched, your mom will need periodic checks to
see if any cancer stem cells "escaped" the first treatment.
If any new tumors reappear, zap them with the cyber knife or
redo Chemo and/or Radiation. The object is: keep the tumors
down. The goal is; await new vaccines being developed. Once
these are available, cancer will likely become a controllable
disease.
12. Last "Live for Today". Don't worry about what could happen next week, next year. Keep optimistic. Within the last 2 years significant advances have been made to control this abomination. The next few years could see a cure. Make it an objective to "hang on" till then. Good Luck.