“What's the best treatment option for ovarian cancer?”
My friend is 50 years old, and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She's opting for surgery to have the cancerous tissues removed. But does she have other, better options?
2 Answers
Hello.
You ask the question that has been the scope of research for the past century. In general the treatment approach for ovarian cancer is multi-factorial. It also depends on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. Most ovarian cancer is found at a time when the patient develops symptoms from the cancer spreading into the abdominal cavity. Often ascites (fluid) is excreted by the tumor causing abdominal distention and pain, sometimes bowel dysfunction. Other times the diagnosis is from the finding of an ovarian mass.
Most of the treatment approaches include surgical removal of the tumor with the goal of removing all visible tumor nodules. Microscopic disease is inevitably left behind and post-operatively chemotherapy is recommended. The options for chemotherapy depend on the microscopic diagnosis and the location of the tumor, and the results of the debulking surgery.
The best place to look for information is the website of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. (Www.nccn.org). This is a group of cancer centers in the US that publish guidelines updated at least annually and more often if necessary as scientific reports are published.
It is important that the surgery be performed by a gynecologic oncologist who is familiar with the necessary steps for the surgery. Good luck to your friend.
You ask the question that has been the scope of research for the past century. In general the treatment approach for ovarian cancer is multi-factorial. It also depends on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. Most ovarian cancer is found at a time when the patient develops symptoms from the cancer spreading into the abdominal cavity. Often ascites (fluid) is excreted by the tumor causing abdominal distention and pain, sometimes bowel dysfunction. Other times the diagnosis is from the finding of an ovarian mass.
Most of the treatment approaches include surgical removal of the tumor with the goal of removing all visible tumor nodules. Microscopic disease is inevitably left behind and post-operatively chemotherapy is recommended. The options for chemotherapy depend on the microscopic diagnosis and the location of the tumor, and the results of the debulking surgery.
The best place to look for information is the website of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. (Www.nccn.org). This is a group of cancer centers in the US that publish guidelines updated at least annually and more often if necessary as scientific reports are published.
It is important that the surgery be performed by a gynecologic oncologist who is familiar with the necessary steps for the surgery. Good luck to your friend.
Surgery is almost always part of the treatment strategy for ovarian cancer however chemotherapy is also frequently utilized for this type of tumor. It depends on the extent of the cancer and also the sub variety of cancer.
