Mary Morton, of Hyattsville, Maryland, battled breast cancer and then a brain tumor earlier in her life, so when she was diagnosed with gastric (stomach) cancer at 59, she tried to prepare herself for the all-too-familiar treatment journey ahead.
As a cancer survivor, Mary had felt well for years. Then, in early 2020, she started losing weight for no obvious reason. “I started feeling ‘not quite right,’ almost as if the top half of my body wasn’t connected to the bottom half,” Mary explains. A long series of medical appointments with a variety of medical specialists and tests in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area followed, without results.
Mary then acted on the guidance of a nutritionist who was certain Mary’s ongoing and significant weight loss wasn’t diet-related, as others had suggested. After an endoscopy at a local practice specializing in digestive care confirmed a tumor in the upper part of Mary’s stomach, she was referred to gastroenterologist Walid Chalhoub, MD, at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for a second endoscopy to learn how far her cancer had advanced.
Mary next met with Benjamin Weinberg, MD, oncologist at MedStar Georgetown, part of the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute, to discuss her treatment options. He recommended intensive chemotherapy, followed by gastric surgery–removing the tumor and Mary’s stomach (known as gastrectomy)–and additional chemotherapy.
Soon after, things started to happen very quickly under the care of Mary’s oncology team led by Dr. Weinberg, who had the expertise that her complicated diagnosis, treatment and recovery would require.
With important results from a blood test, Dr. Weinberg explained to Mary that her treatment plan was changing. The blood test identified a high number of genetic mutations in the tumor indicating it was a microsatellite instability (MSI)-high tumor. This meant Mary’s stomach cancer was immune-sensitive. “At the time, we didn’t have much data on how to best treat this form of stomach cancer,” recalls Dr. Weinberg. “We believed immunotherapy could be more effective because MSI-high tumors don’t respond as well to chemotherapy treatments.”
After multiple consultations with surgical oncology experts at MedStar Georgetown and other national experts, Dr. Weinberg recommended a new strategy that might produce better results, given the complexity of Mary’s tumor: gastric surgery first to remove her entire stomach, followed by intensive chemotherapy and long-term immunotherapy. “Dr. Weinberg is the most accessible doctor I’ve ever had, and I’ve had many,” says Mary. “He immersed himself in the latest research for my treatment plan and he never lost faith.”
While one of the scariest things about stomach cancer for Mary was contemplating life without a stomach. “My medical team took the time to explain what it means not to have a stomach,” says Mary. Within a year, she was back to eating almost anything she wanted, just in smaller, more frequent servings.
In the months that followed, Mary was monitored regularly to ensure the gastrectomy had succeeded in removing the cancerous tumor and preventing further spread. When a routine scan suggested her cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, Dr. Weinberg confirmed DNA fragments from the tumor were present in her bloodstream. The treatment plan still would include chemotherapy—but at the lowest dose possible—with two years of immunotherapy until any remaining cancer cells were no longer detectable.
With her five-year anniversary of being cancer-free right around the corner (Spring 2027), Mary is tearful when she recalls her journey. “I can’t thank the nursing and technical staff enough for helping me through a very tough time. Their level of care and gentleness was spectacular. I feel so fortunate. In some ways, I'm in the best shape of my life."
With her significant health challenges behind her, Mary is happy to be moving forward. She enjoys horseback riding regularly--a hobby a friend recently encouraged her to learn. And, she has time to travel. This spring, Mary completed a cross-country train trip from San Francisco to Chicago via the Rocky Mountains, and back home to Hyattsville.
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