Hope Through a Difficult Diagnosis
- Tennis legend Pete Sampras was spotted out on a rare coffee run in California over the weekend just a few months after announcing his wife, Billy Madison actress Bridgette Wilson Sampras’ heartbreaking ovarian cancer diagnosis.
- Ovarian cancer has been called the “cancer that whispers,” because women often don’t experience symptoms until their cancer has already reached its late stages.
- After initial treatment which often involves surgery and chemotherapy, your doctor may recommend a form of maintenance therapy, which Sampras mentioned of Bridgette’s continued treatment plan. Its purpose is to kill off any potential remaining cancer cells and keep the cancer from coming back.
- SurvivorNet offers a comprehensive guide to ovarian cancer features advice from some of the nation’s top gynecologic oncologists, to guide you through every stage of the diagnosis and treatment process. Check out SN Local, featuring 20 cities across the U.S., to explore expertise and community near you.
Sampras, wearing jeans and a sporty black jacket, was spotted smiling toward photographers while carrying a tray of coffee drinks from Starbucks in photos ran by DailyMail.com.
Read MoreA message from Pete ? pic.twitter.com/ZReXGOCUQs
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 29, 2023
“Since then, she has had major surgery, pushed through chemotherapy, and continues with targeted maintenance therapy,” he continued. “It is hard to watch someone you love go through a challenge like this. However, seeing our boys step up and be such strong supporters of Bridgette, myself and each other has been amazing. Watching Bridgette continue to be an incredible mom and wife through it all, has been inspiring.”
“I have also learned that it’s very hard to reach out for support when something is simply too hard to talk about,” he added. “With that said, I will end this by humbly asking for good thoughts and prayers for our family as Bridgette continues to thrive on her healing journey. Thank you.”
Among the thousands of likes and hundreds of comments from friends and fans wishing the family well, one in particular stood out. “Pete and Bridgette, I’m so sorry to hear about the health challenges. Keep the humor and positive outlook as you both fight this off. Pete always worked best under pressure, and I’m sure Bridgette is giving him a lesson on mental toughness.”
Sampras and Bridgette, who married in 2000, have both been retired for years after choosing early on to put their family first, raising their sons Christian, now 21, and Ryan, 18, out of the spotlight.
The Importance of Asking for Help as a Caregiver
When going through a difficult life change like a cancer diagnosis in the family, some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends’ circle.
“They feel like they have enough support there,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik tells SurvivorNet. “But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional.”
Dr. Plutchik also stressed the importance of understanding that a cancer patient’s emotions can vary day to day.
“People can have a range of emotions, they can include fear, anger, and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process,” she explained.
Seeking Support: The First 3 Things to Do After a Cancer Diagnosis
Meanwhile, Dr. Charmain Jackman, a licensed psychologist and founder of InnoPsych, echoes SurvivorNet experts on the benefits of positive mental health while facing a health diagnosis.
“In the face of a life-threatening diagnosis, fear, hopelessness, and despair can quickly take space in your mind. However, your mindset is a superpower and can be a potent antidote to illness,” Dr. Jackman explained.
“Practicing gratitude, cultivating joy, and connecting to the community are practical ways to develop a resilient mindset.”
Learning About Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer has been called the “cancer that whispers,” because women often don’t experience symptoms until their cancer has already reached its late stages.
The symptoms that do appear at first are hard to identify as cancer. This subtlety of symptoms makes it essential for women to know the warning signs, and report them to their doctor.
The term ovarian cancer refers to a number of different tumors that grow in the ovary. The ovaries produce the sex hormone, estrogen, as well as eggs. Every woman has two ovaries, one on either side of her uterus. The fallopian tube picks up the egg from the ovary and carries it to the uterus for fertilization.
WATCH: ‘There are now more options to treat ovarian cancer than ever before’
Many ovarian cancers actually begin in the fallopian tubes. A few cancerous cells first grow on the fallopian tubes and then, as the fallopian tubes brush over the ovary, these cells stick to the ovaries and eventually grow to form a tumor.
Though it is unclear what stage Bridgette is, since her husband mentioned maintenance therapy in his share, that denotes stage 3 or 4.
There isn’t just one ovarian cancer; there are many different types that occur at different stages of life. In fact, researchers have identified over 30 types, but these three are the most common:
- Epithelial. About 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial, which means the cancer cells are located on the outer layer of the ovary. Most epithelial tumors are not cancerous, but when they are cancerous, they can spread before they’re detected.
Stromal. This rare type of tumor forms in the connective tissue that holds the ovary together and produces estrogen and progesterone. - Germ cell. These tumors, which develop in the cells that produce the eggs, are more likely to affect a single ovary, rather than both ovaries. When a teen or young woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it’s usually the germ cell type. The good news is that most women with these types of ovarian cancers can be cured.
According to SurvivorNet team of medical experts, the symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:
- A feeling of bloating or fullness
- Pain in the pelvis or abdomen
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Changes in bowel habits
- Bleeding from the vagina (especially after menopause)
- Unusual discharge from the vagina
- Pain or pressure in the pelvis
- Belly or back pain
- Feeling full too quickly, or having difficulty eating
- A change in urinary or bowel habits, such as a more frequent or urgent need to urinate and/or constipation
- Extreme fatigue
- Pain during sex
“We don’t have a good screening method, but if you have symptoms, it’s very important that you go to your physician because there might be an opportunity that we can detect it when it’s still early stage,” Dr. Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, a gynecologic oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
“It’s very important that patients are not afraid to ask questions to their physicians. Because the sooner we can diagnose the cancer, the better that prognosis.”
How Is Ovarian Cancer Graded and Staged?
Ovarian cancer is officially staged and graded through surgery to determine its extent. and can be divided into three grades of aggressiveness. The grade is not determined by the size or stage of the tumor, but rather by the behavior of the cells in the tumor.
- Grade 1 cells are the least aggressive cancer because they look most like normal ovarian tissue and are well-differentiated. Grade one ovarian cancer is less likely to spread.
- Grade 2 cells are mildly aggressive.
- Grade 3 cells are the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer and are poorly differentiated. They have a large nucleus or cell center. They divide very quickly and no longer look like normal, healthy cells. This type of cancer is most likely to spread.
Ovarian cancer can also be classified into four different stages, regardless of grade:
- Stage 1: The cancer is found only in one or both ovaries.
- Stage 2: The cancer has spread to other areas of the pelvis.
- Stage 3: The cancer has spread to the abdomen and other body parts in the abdominal region.
- Stage 4: The cancer spreads to regions beyond the abdomen.
Treating Ovarian Cancer
With ovarian cancer, the standard of care (whether after surgery or before) is a “very, very effective” chemotherapy, says Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology.
When ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed, according to Dr. Chase, they are usually given chemotherapy, which puts about 80% of patients into remission, at least for some time.
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“The current treatment that we’re going to give you, the standard treatment, is in existence because thousands of women have participated in studies,” Dr. Chase notes to SurvivorNet.
After initial treatment which often involves surgery and chemotherapy, your doctor may recommend a form of maintenance therapy, as Sampras mentioned in Bridgette’s treatment plan.
WATCH: PARP Inhibitor drug for ovarian cancer treatment
“We use some maintenance therapies with chemo and then continue them after chemo, such as Avastin while others we use after chemo, such as Olaparib,” Dr. Chase explains.
A growing number of women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer are eligible for treatment with a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors. PARP inhibitors are options for women as maintenance therapy after the first chemotherapy or platinum-sensitive recurrence or as a treatment for recurrence.
BRCA Mutations
Women with BRCA mutations are good candidates for PARP inhibitors.
What is a BRCA mutation? BRCA (a breast cancer gene mutation) is actually two genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), both proteins that work as tumor suppressors. They help repair damaged DNA, and are important for ensuring the stability of each cell’s genetic material.
Dr. Rebecca Arend explains BRCA mutations
When either of these genes is altered, that mutation can mean that its protein product does not function properly, or that damaged DNA may not be repaired correctly. These inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase the risk of female breast and ovarian cancers, and have also been associated with increased risks for several other cancers.
It is unknown if Bridgette has a BRCA mutation.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and need guidance to further educate yourself on the disease and treatment, consider these questions for your doctor.
- 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?
SurvivorNet offers a comprehensive guide to ovarian cancer and features advice from some of the nation’s top gynecologic oncologists to guide you through every stage of the diagnosis and treatment process.
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