Barroilhet talks about rare cancer case with state and national media

Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS, director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, recently spoke with various media channels about a patient’s experience with an extremely rare cancer after childbirth.

In early May 2025, UW Health published the story Rare cancer disrupts Lydia's newborn baby bliss, covering a local patient’s experience with choriocarcinoma, an uncommon diagnosis. In the story, Barroilhet talked about the challenges of navigating a new cancer diagnosis shortly after becoming a parent:

“"She's a new mom. This is already such a hard time in her life," Barroilhet said. "She had this amazing pregnancy and has this amazing son and now is going to have to really derail what we all imagine our postpartum maternity time to be like — those hopes and dreams you have for that time.””

Read the whole story from UW Health here. Statewide and national media picked up the story, including many Wisconsin outlets and People Magazine:

Mom Was Overjoyed After Welcoming Son. 9 Days Later, Doctors Found a Tumor in Her Placenta - People

Sun Prairie woman celebrates Mother’s Day cancer-free after rare diagnosis - WMTV-15 News 

Wisconsin mom celebrates Mother’s Day after receiving rare cancer diagnosis post-childbirth - Channel 8000 

**by Ob-Gyn Communications Intern Paige Stevenson