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remove the cancer, followed by two types of chemotherapy, intravenous therapy as well as intraperitoneal chemotherapy given through a port in her abdomen. Upon learning Amy had a double lumpectomy to treat breast cancer in 2001, Dr. Bergman conducted genetic testing. When that test returned positive, Amy had a preventative double mastectomy based on Dr. Bergman's recommendation. Comprehensive Care for Women With surgeons, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, Dr. Bergman and the team round out the specialties needed in a comprehensive women's care model. "We interact with other specialties falling under the women's health umbrella at Providence, including obstetrics and delivery, internal medicine, pelvic floor and reconstructive surgery, as well as urogynecology and reproductive endocrinology. We offer long-term care and hopefully long-term survival. If not, we offer comfort through end-of-life care as well." "We're passionate about taking care of women," Dr. Bergman emphasizes. "Otherwise we wouldn't go through 16 years of training to do it." Since joining Providence, Dr. Bergman and her team have opened the very first gynecologic clinical trials to advance treatment methods, and currently have two open trials. A month before her 49th birthday, Amy Lindh had her annual exam and was told everything looked good. A month later, she was short of breath, losing weight, and throwing up black clumps of blood with long tentacles she describes as "spiderlike." Considering her history of digestive issues and complicated periods, she passed off the symptoms. After her husband encouraged her to see a doctor, she underwent a series of tests and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. "I really thought they were going to tell me I had irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease," Amy says. "I was not expecting ovarian cancer." Amy's husband cried when they received the diagnosis, but she was relieved to finally learn there was a reason for her symptoms and it wasn't just in her head. Amy's family doctor referred her to Melanie Bergman, M.D., a name Amy also found while doing her own research. A week later she was in surgery. Specialized Oncology Care Close to Home As a gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Bergman handles complicated surgeries that regular OB-GYN practitioners don't feel comfortable doing, including administering cancer surgeries and treatments. When asked about the team at Providence Gynecologic Oncology Clinic in Spokane, Dr. Bergman says "it's unique." With 40 fellowship spots per year and roughly a thousand fellowship- trained gynecologic oncologists across the country, she and two other doctors provide the only care of this kind in Spokane, drawing patients from outlying regions when specialty care is required. With cancer spreading throughout Amy's diaphragm and abdomen, Dr. Bergman and her team performed a specialized debulking procedure to "They encourage you to live a fuller life... they look at you as more than a patient." Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Trials at Providence "Without clinical trials, cancer care doesn't advance. I'm passionate about clinical trials as a way to give novel therapies that may expand survival and outcome and improve length and quality of life." — Melanie Bergman, M.D. The Providence Gynecologic Oncology Clinic is bringing pioneering clinical trials to Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital. One clinical trial is underway and three more are projected to open at 2021. These trials will cover a range of tumor types and are carefully selected to ensure that patients have access to leading-edge research. Our participation in these FDA-regulated trials contributes to the development of new therapies for gynecologic oncology. For more information about joining these leading-edge cancer studies, please have your provider send in a consult to the clinic for review by the clinical research team. For a listing of all research studies, please visit research.providence.org PROVIDENCE.ORG/HEARTBEAT 11

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