Michelle Cole with stage 4 ovarian cancer says new drugs have helped prolong her life

Revolutionary new cancer drugs are helping to keep cancer patients alive for longer on the northern beaches.

A northern beaches bus driver has benefited from revolutionary new cancer drugs that have helped keep her alive.

Michelle Cole, 52, from Dee Why, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, after she suddenly started losing weight.

Now she is under the care of Dr Antonia Pearson, medical oncologist at Northern Beaches Hospital, who said ovarian cancer is tricky to diagnose but new drugs and therapies are significantly improving survival rates.

“Some of the newer drugs like Bevacizumab and PARP inhibitors are helping to remarkably improve the survival rates for women with advanced ovarian cancer,” Dr Pearson said.

“In late 2020, the government listed new drugs on the PBS which significantly reduces the risk of relapse. I had one of my patients on it the very first day it was available.”

Ms Cole said she initially had treatment at Manly Hospital and doctors thought she was in remission.

But in July 2019 the cancer was back.

She then started treatment at the new Northern Beaches Hospital with Dr Pearson.

While there is no cure for Ms Cole because her cancer has spread to other parts of her body, she is learning to live with the disease.

“The best thing about being at Northern Beaches is that my case is being reviewed by a team of some of the best doctors from all of the local hospitals,” Ms Cole said.

“The team recommended I have a debulking hysterectomy in November 2019 and now I visit the hospital once a month for treatment.

“The treatments are getting better and better. I do it on my day off from bus driving, I’m here for two hours and then I’m back driving the next day.

“I sometimes feel a little tired a few days later but it’s not stopping me.

“I know I have a disorder that I need to manage but I’m leading a healthy life and tackling it step by step.”

Ms Cole has been on the tumour-starving drug Bevacizumab, also known by the brand name Avastin, and is now on another life prolonging drug called Caelyx.

Ms Cole warned that the symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague and women should trust their instinct if they don’t feel right. It was her wife Kym Weekes that insisted she see a GP about her symptoms.

“For me, I had lost weight inexplicably and wasn’t myself and Kym just felt something wasn’t right and urged me to get a check-up with my GP,” Ms Cole said.

“It’s been tough, I was shocked and now I’m frustrated and sometimes I think ‘why me?’ but I get up and get on with it.

“It really is harder on Kym and my family, particularly my parents who would rather it be them.”

Dr Pearson said some of the signs can easily be dismissed as an ordinary part of being a woman.

“Things like bloating, feeling tired, sluggish bowels and slight abdominal discomfort are fairly common for many women but women should mention them to their doctor,” she said.

“Your doctor will do a physical exam and may do tests for tumour markers and send you for an ultrasound. The earlier we diagnose ovarian cancer, the better the survival rates.

“The earlier we catch it the better.

“At Northern Beaches Hospital, we take a multidisciplinary approach which simply means the best experts team up to design an individual treatment for a patient.”

Ms Cole said the hardest part of having ovarian cancer is she is not allowed to play football or referee because if she suffers a knock it could lead to an internal bleed.

She met her partner after she gave her a red card.

Ms Cole said Beacon Hill Football Club has supported both of them throughout her treatment and fittingly they were married on the pitch in October, 2020.