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By Guillermo Guzman, MD
Obstetrics & Gynecology
ANNA JONES
was in her early teens
when her mother died of ovarian cancer at
age 44. It was a particularly difficult time for
her and her family, since her grandmother
died of the same type of cancer when she
was young. So did her aunt.
Now, sitting at her doctor’s office on
a warm summer morning, she wondered
what her ultrasound had shown. She could
still remember her mother’s long chemo-
therapy days. She could remember those days at the hospital after
her surgery.
Was it the grim look on her doctor’s face? Or the concerned
expression of the nurse? It could only mean bad news. He said
something about more testing and possibly surgery. Two weeks
later she was on the operating table about to fall asleep under
anesthesia. When she woke up her family was there—all her loved
ones in one room. Finally she found out: She had been diagnosed
with stage III ovarian cancer.
In the midst of all the bad news, her doctor mentioned some-
thing about genetic testing to see if her two daughters, now in their
early twenties, had an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Jones knew
she would give anything to make sure her daughters never went
through something like this themselves.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 21,880
new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2010, making it the
second most common gynecologic cancer. However, 13,850 people
died from it, making it the most frequent cause of gynecologic
cancer-related death.
Its high mortality is related to vague, insidious and often late
Guillermo Guzman,
MD, Saint Alphonsus
Medical Group –
Ontario, OR
Health & Healing
www.saintalphonsus.org
14
Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario
A TALE OF
TWO
GENES