Patient Story: Tracy Saraceni

A Clinical Trial Leads Patient to Cancer-Free Trail

For nearly four years, Tracy Saraceni, a lifelong Massachusetts resident, insurance professional, mother of identical twin daughters, and avid motorcyclist felt like she was on a roller coaster. At the age of 47, she was diagnosed with clear cell abdominal cancer, a rare and aggressive disease that doctors believe arose from endometriosis. It metastasized to her skin and pelvis. 
 

She went through a long and difficult series of treatments, hoping for a good outcome. When a strong chemotherapy trial using carboplatin and liposomal doxorubicin was not effective, she was afraid she had run out of options.

“Before I had to make any bad decisions, my oncologist (at Massachusetts General Hospital) told me of a clinical trial led by Dr. Dizon in Rhode Island. She thought I might qualify.” Saraceni recalls. 

The medical oncologist, Sara Bouberhan, MD, spoke highly of Don S. Dizon, MD, of the Brown University Health Cancer Institute and the research he was leading. “She did nothing but compliment and extol his knowledge and his virtue, his ability and the plight that he's charging with this clinical trial,” Saraceni says. 

Immunotherapy Cancer Research Happens In Rhode Island

Saraceni was accepted into the clinical trial BrUOG 354. It is ongoing and studies nivolumab, a drug that helps the immune system fight cancer, either alone or combined with another drug, ipilimumab. Both drugs have been effective in treating certain cancers. The trial investigated the efficacy of these treatments for clear cell cancers outside of the kidney, which is the type of cancer for which Saraceni had been treated. Up until this trial, the traditional treatments Saraceni tried helped slow down her cancer by attacking the cancer cells, but she never fully recovered. Immunotherapy offered a new approach. Instead of directly targeting the cancer, it helps the body's own immune system find and destroy cancer cells by blocking the proteins that let cancer hide from the immune system.

After two cycles of the immunotherapy treatment, Saraceni’s cancer, which had progressed as bothersome nodules under the skin of her pelvis, disappeared. However, a year into the treatment, she developed side effects including hypoglycemia and pancreatitis, and there was evidence it was starting to grow in her lungs. Dr. Dizon changed to a chemotherapy of cisplatin and gemicitabine. After four treatments, she was in remission. Dr. Dizon noted it was a significant response, especially since chemotherapy had not worked earlier. Saraceni has now been off treatment in a sustained remission for more than a year. That she has not required any further treatment suggests there may have been a longer lasting benefit to immunotherapy. “It almost seems that nivolumab and ipilimumab has made her own immune system smarter,” Dr. Dizon said. 

Although Dr. Dizon acknowledges there is still a chance the cancer could return, he remains encouraged by her positive results.

“Tracy’s sustained remission and the fact that the disease has not returned, especially on her skin, is truly remarkable,” Dr. Dizon says.

Saraceni is among the one third of trial participants who achieved positive results. In 2024, Dr. Dizon and his research team were invited to present their work at the Best of ASCO, the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This two-day international event highlights the top cancer research and treatment strategies that will help improve patient care.

Road to Health Meets Path to Partner

Saraceni has a commanding voice and presence. Calm and direct. It suits her career, one that emphasizes details, facts, and timelines. From her kitchen table, she recounts the highs and lows of her cancer experience. Her wife of nearly two years, Kim, observes from the other room. Saraceni had just completed the trial and treatment when friends introduced them. As they became acquainted through a month of hour-long and frequent phone calls, Saraceni guarded the details of her health. “Every time we hung up, I would think I should have told her because our connection was getting stronger,” she says. “I thought the right thing to do would be to sit in front of her and tell her face to face,” she remembers. “And then part of me is like, what? I know what I'm risking by doing that and I can't fault her at all if she decides this is not what she signed up for.”

When they did meet in person and have the conversation, it was clear they were both committed to building a future together. They married six months after their first in-person meeting.

Enjoying the Ride

The couple shares an enthusiasm for motorcycles and once Saraceni was able to ride after a long absence, she clocked more than 9,000 miles on her Harley Davidson. 

When they are riding, Kim is always in the lead. Saraceni says, “She's leading the way, but she also protects me. Her pipes are louder, so she makes sure that people can hear us coming. If we're riding in a wooded area, she's louder so animals won't come out. If we're going through an intersection, she's louder, so cars will hear us. She leads and protects me all the time.”

Of riding, Saraceni describes it this way. “It's freedom. It's exhilaration. It makes you focus just on that task.” At last, Saraceni can enjoy the ride.