Treatment options in ovarian cancer will comprise of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy. To counteract the ovarian cancer treatment is used. Depending on the stage and grade and also the condition of the patient the treatment plan is charted.
Surgery: Depending on the stage of cancer, surgery is used for the removal of tumors. It is also one of the first options of treatment that is considered.
Salpingo-oophorectomy: In this surgery, the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed.
Hysterectomy: In this case, the uterus is removed and the surrounding tissue that is affected along with it. If only the uterus gets removed, then it is called a partial hysterectomy. After this, for premenopausal women, menopause will immediately start.
Lymph node dissection: Lymph nodes are removed from the pelvis near the aorta.
Cytoreductive or debulking surgery: If the spread of the cancer is beyond the pelvic region then the surgeon will remove as much cancer tissue as permissible. This can include tissues from both the organs and gallbladder. In this way, symptoms are relieved and chemotherapy done thereafter is more effective.
Chemotherapy: It is the use of certain drugs for the destruction of cancerous cells by preventing them from dividing further. They aim to target those cancer cells that surgery could not remove or cannot destroy. The treatment will consist of 3 to 6 chemotherapy sessions or cycles. The cycles will be separated over a period of 3 to 4 weeks allowing the body time to recover from the effect. If the cancer is found to recur then chemotherapy is again given with the purpose of shrinking.
Targeted chemotherapy: specific pathways or functions in cancer cells are targeted with these new kinds of medications. Some of the medications that are used include Avastin and Lynparza.
Side effects: Rapid dividing cells are targeted by chemotherapy but then healthy and rapidly dividing cells or red and white blood cells and hair follicles also get targeted. Some of the other side effects include
- Diarrhea
- Nausea or vomiting
- Hair loss
- Appetite loss
- Sores in mouth
- Anemia
- Easy contraction of infection due to lowered white blood cell count
After the treatment is withdrawn the damaged healthy cells gradually repair themselves and the side effects start disappearing.
After chemotherapy, however, follow up tests and imaging scans and blood tests are done which is used to carry out and determine the treatment’s effectiveness. If cancer is still found then doctors will shift their focus to treat it with some other treatments.
Hormone therapy: In treatment plan hormone therapy can be included for the prevention of estrogen from reaching the cancer cells. When the supply of this hormone is cut then the growth of cancer cells is also slowed down. In this kind of therapy aromatase inhibitor, Tamoxifen, Leuprolide can be used.
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is not so common for the treatment of ovarian cancer, but it may be still employed if small traces of cancer are found in the reproductive system or for the treatment of advanced cancer.