Pictured: Sandi Portnoy (family photo).
By UH Med Now
It is a rare type of cancer, yet uterine leiomyosarcoma does strike women in Hawaiʻi. This past December, physicians in our State had the opportunity to learn more about the disease from a leader in the field, thanks to the generosity of local attorney and University of Hawaiʻi (UH) Regent Jeffrey Portnoy.
Portnoy lost his wife, Sandi, to the disease in 2016 after a battle she waged with her oncologist, medical professor Dr. Michael Carney, the Kosasa Endowed Professor in Gynecologic Oncology. Her family chose to honor Sandi by assuring that the local healthcare community was familiar with the condition, symptoms, treatments, and work ahead.
