Women Going Beyond: Advancing Immunotherapy Research for Ovarian Cancer

Being proposed to during the last week of cancer treatment, after every doctor has told you you’ll never have kids, isn’t exactly the engagement story Chelsea Madrick imagined.

And yet, she says, “That was the most impressive part, to me anyways.” Chelsea and Owen had been dating for about a year when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her early 20s. He supported her through the surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, chemotherapy and the devastating news that she would not conceive naturally.

Chelsea is grateful to be alive and well — and a mom to three daughters — 10 years after Owen popped the question at their favourite spot, Gonzales Hill Observatory, near their home in Victoria. And now she’s one of the Vancouver Island community leaders taking part in Women Going Beyond, a campaign to raise $500,000 in support of immunotherapy research for ovarian cancer at BC Cancer – Victoria’s Deeley Research Centre (DRC).

More than 300 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year in B.C. Unlike with cervical or breast cancer, there is no screening test for ovarian cancer. Symptoms, such as bloating, are subtle and often mimic other less serious conditions. (At 22 years old, Chelsea was told her irregular periods were due to early perimenopause.) As a result, 70% of ovarian cancer cases are caught late stage, once the cancer has spread — and only up to half of women with advanced disease live five years past diagnosis.

New Hope Thanks to BC Cancer Research

Created in 2003 through 100% BC Cancer Foundation donor funding, the DRC is a world-renowned pioneer in immunotherapy (treatments that harnesses the body’s immune system to attack and destroy cancer.

Following the success of a Phase 1 clinical trial using Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to treat blood cancer patients who had exhausted all treatment options — in which over 43% of participants achieved complete regression— the DRC is researching how to use the groundbreaking treatment on ovarian cancer.

CAR T-cell therapy uses a patient’s T cells (a type of white blood cell) that are genetically engineered in the lab to identify and destroy cancer cells. Researchers believe enabling CAR T to work on solid tumours could be the key to finding more effective therapies for hard-to-treat cancers, including ovarian cancer.

To achieve this, the DRC is developing a vaccine to make CAR T cells stronger, longer lasting and more effective in eliminating ovarian cancer. With $1.9 million in BC Cancer Foundation support, the DRC is preparing to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial for this innovative treatment.

Starting a Family after Ovarian Cancer

“One thing I was sure of back then was that I wanted to be a mom, so it was terrible to have that taken away from me,” says Chelsea, who knows firsthand how scientific advances can be game-changing for families facing ovarian cancer.

As her uterus was left intact, Chelsea was referred to a fertility specialist. “She looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘How many kids do you want?’ All I could think about was just having one, so I said, ‘Well let’s see how it goes.’ But she said, ‘No, honestly how many?’ And so, I said, ‘three.’”

Not only was it possible, Chelsea’s fertility specialist said she could personally guarantee it. And so, Chelsea and Owen started the invitro fertilization (IVF) journey which included choosing an egg donor. “The first round we got two high-quality embryos. The first one we implanted worked and that was our first daughter Madeline.”

A year later they tried again, and it failed. A third attempt resulted in a miscarriage. On the fourth try, it took. “Early on, we found out it was twins,” says Chelsea. “My fertility specialist said, “See, I told you we’d get three!”

Getting two for one was extremely fortuitous, says Chelsea as, “I don’t think I could have handled a third pregnancy. I was so swollen and uncomfortable.”

Circulation and water retention are lasting and life-altering side effects of Chelsea’s aggressive chemotherapy — “I try to be super healthy but it’s just something I have to deal with on a daily basis,” — and another reason she’s advocating for less toxic immunotherapy research for ovarian cancer patients.

Exercise is often prescribed to improve circulation and move fluid around the body, and with Madeline (6) and the twins Emma and Mayah (4), Chelsea has no problem getting her steps in. But, of course, a busy family of five is a dream come true after facing ovarian cancer, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Women Going Beyond fundraising events include the 3rd annual Hughes Clothing Fashion Show (in which Chelsea is volunteering as a model) at Union Club in Victoria on April 6, 12 to 3 p.m., led by Rebecca Burrows of Hughes Clothing, and the 2nd annual Fluevog Shoes Fundraiser at Fluevog Shoes in Victoria on April 17, 6-8 p.m., led by Jane Johnston of The Briar Hill Group @ RE/MAX Camosun.