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Jan’s Cancer Journey: From Diagnosis to Advocacy

As a five-time cancer survivor, Jan Antony is incredibly fortunate to be alive. However, her story is the exception, not the norm, for most ovarian cancer patients.

At the age of 49, Jan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was terrified of what the diagnosis meant – and even more afraid of what it could mean for her daughter, Zoe, who at the time was only seven. Fortunately, the surgery was successful, and the breast cancer did not return.

14 years later, in 2008, she mentioned to her doctor that she was experiencing some bloating, which was a fairly common complaint for a 64-year-old woman. After being referred to an oncologist and completing some tests, she received difficult news: she had been diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.

With the support of Jan’s doctor, she underwent four months of gruelling chemotherapy, which took a significant toll on her body. Through her participation in a clinical trial, she eventually received the hopeful news: she was in remission.

Over the next five years, she faced three more ovarian cancer diagnoses. It was one of the most challenging periods of her life, but she overcame it with the unwavering support of her medical team and the research made possible by WEHI scientists.

Currently, the treatment paradigm for ovarian cancer isn’t ideal with precision, personalised treatment approaches remaining unavailable for most people. For those facing cancer, time is a luxury they can’t afford.  The sooner the right treatment is found, the better the chances of survival, or at least improved outcomes.

With your support, together, we can make a difference and give hope to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Your donation will help WEHI do the medical research, that may lead to the cure that saves someone – maybe someone you love.

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You have the power to bring hope to millions affected by disease.

Your donation today will help WEHI’s researchers advance personalised treatments – so patients can be diagnosed sooner, treated faster and cared for better.

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WEHI researchers have discovered a new way to detect drug resistance in ovarian cancer patients

Jan worked closely with Professor Clare Scott and her team. Prof Scott is the joint head of Clinical Translation at WEHI and a medical oncologist at three hospitals in Melbourne.

Recently, she and her team led a study finding new way to predict a subset of ovarian cancer patients who will become resistant to PARP inhibitors – a therapy used for many ovarian and breast cancer patients.

For the first time, researchers were able to detect altered gene ‘splicing’ (a process that can make cancer cells resistant to PARPi therapy) in the blood.

The findings can be immediately applied to tests already available in research settings, such as DNA sequencing of a patient’s tumour or detecting cancer DNA in the blood.

Learn more about this discovery

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The fight against disease starts with research

Ovarian cancer is a complex disease with multiple forms, and its symptoms are often subtle and difficult to recognise.

While advances in treatment have improved outcomes with more than half of women now surviving beyond five years after diagnosis, the mortality rate remains unacceptably high.

Jan’s Cancer Journey: From Diagnosis to Advocacy

You have the power to bring hope to millions affected by disease.

WEHI researchers have discovered a new way to detect drug resistance in ovarian cancer patients

Together, we can make a difference and give hope to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Other ways to donate

Your personal information

The fight against disease starts with research

Ovarian cancer is a complex disease with multiple forms, and its symptoms are often subtle and difficult to recognise.

While advances in treatment have improved outcomes with more than half of women now surviving beyond five years after diagnosis, the mortality rate remains unacceptably high.

Jan’s Cancer Journey: From Diagnosis to Advocacy

You have the power to bring hope to millions affected by disease.

WEHI researchers have discovered a new way to detect drug resistance in ovarian cancer patients

Together, we can make a difference and give hope to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Other ways to donate

Your personal information

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