What are the treatment options for (epithelial) ovarian cancer?
Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and sometimes radiotherapy. The treatment advised for each case depends on various factors such as the stage and grade of the cancer, and your general health.
You should have a full discussion with a specialist who knows your case. They will be able to give the pros and cons, likely success rate, possible side-effects, and other details about the various possible treatment options for your type and stage of cancer.
You should also discuss with your specialist the aims of treatment. For example:
Surgery
An operation is advised in most cases. If the cancer is at a very early stage, (just confined to the ovary and not spread) then an operation to remove the affected ovary and associated fallopian tube may be all the treatment required. However, in many cases the cancer has grown into other nearby structures or has spread. Therefore, a more extensive operation is often needed. For example, the operation may involve removing the affected ovary, plus the uterus, the other ovary, and other affected areas in the lower abdomen.
During the operation the surgeon may take small biopsy samples of structures in the abdomen or lining the abdomen such as the diaphragm or lymph glands (nodes). The samples are looked at under the microscope to see if any cancer cells have spread to these structures. This helps to give an accurate staging of the cancer and helps the surgeon to decide on further treatment. 医学全在线www.med126.com
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying. See separate leaflet called chemotherapy for more details. Chemotherapy is commonly given after having an operation. This aims to kill any cancer cells which have been left behind following the operation.
Sometimes chemotherapy is given before surgery to reduce the size of the cancer which may make surgery easier and more likely to be successful.
A second operation is sometimes advised after a course of chemotherapy. This aims to inspect inside the abdomen, assess how well chemotherapy has worked, and to remove any cancer which could not have been removed in the first operation, but which will have shrunk following chemotherapy.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is a treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation which are focussed on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops cancer cells from multiplying. (There is a separate leaflet which gives more details about radiotherapy.)
Radiotherapy is not often used for ovarian cancer. It is sometimes used following surgery to kill cancer cells which may have been left behind after the operation. Radiotherapy may also be used to shrink secondary tumours which have developed in other parts of the body and are causing pain or other symptoms.
What is the prognosis (outlook)?
There is a good chance of a cure if ovarian cancer is diagnosed and treated when the disease is at an early stage (confined to the ovary and has not spread). Unfortunately, most ovarian cancers are not diagnosed at an early stage. This is because symptoms often do not occur until after the cancer has grown quite large or has spread. In this situation, a cure is less likely but still possible. In general, the later the stage and the higher the grade of the cancer, the poorer the outlook. Even if a cure is not possible, treatment can often slow down the progression of the cancer.
The treatment of cancer is a developing area of medicine. New treatments continue to be developed and the information on outlook above is very general. The specialist who knows your case can give more accurate information about your particular outlook, and how well your stage and grade of cancer is likely to respond to treatment.
