Ovarian Cancer Australia
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Overview
Your treatment will depend on many factors, including the type and stage of ovarian cancer, and your overall health and fitness.
Ovarian cancer is most often treated with surgery and chemotherapy, with targeted therapy and radiation sometimes used.
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How treatment is planned
The treatment for ovarian cancer depends on the type and stage of the cancer, whether you wish to have children, if you have a gene fault, your general health and fitness, and your doctors recommendations.
Ovarian cancer is most often treated with surgery and chemotherapy, either on their own, or in combination. Whether you have surgery or chemotherapy first will depend on several factors. Targeted therapy drugs may be offered if there are certain gene changes in the tumour and/or if you have advanced cancer that could not be completely removed with surgery.
Treatment options by type of ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is most often treated with surgery and chemotherapy, but certain types of ovarian cancer may recieve other treatments.
- Epithelial (stage 1) – This is usually treated with surgery alone. Chemotherapy may be offered after surgery if there is a high risk of the cancer coming back.
- Epithelial (stages 2, 3 and 4) – This is usually treated with a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. New targeted therapy drugs are being offered to people with a fault in BRCA or related genes. Rarely, radiation therapy is offered.
- Stromal cell – This is usually treated with surgery, sometimes followed by chemotherapy or targeted therapy.
- Germ cell – This is usually treated with surgery or chemotherapy, or both.
- Borderline tumour – This is usually treated with surgery only.
More information about treatment types
Surgery
In some cases, surgery will be the initial treatment for ovarian cancer. Surgery allows your gynaecological oncologist to confirm the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and also work out if the cancer has spread.Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with anti-cancer drugs. The aim is to destroy cancer cells while causing the least possible damage to normal, healthy cells.Other treatments
Your doctor may recommend targeted therapy, which uses drugs to target specific features of cancer cells, or radiation therapy, which uses a controlled dose of radiation to kill or damage cancer cells.Palliative treatment
Palliative treatment helps to improve people’s quality of life by managing the symptoms of cancer without trying to cure the disease. It is best thought of as supportive care.
Many people think that palliative treatment is only for people at the end of their life, but it can help people at any stage of advanced ovarian cancer, even if they are still having active treatment for the cancer. It is about living for as long as possible in the most satisfying way you can.
Palliative treatment can slow the spread of cancer, relieve pain and help manage other symptoms. Treatment may include palliative forms of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. If fluid builds up and causes uncomfortable swelling or breathlessness, you may have a procedure to drain the extra fluid from your abdomen or lungs.
Palliative treatment is one aspect of palliative care, in which a team of health professionals aims to meet your physical, emotional, cultural, social and spiritual needs. The team also supports families and carers.
There is still a life to be lived and pleasures to be found and disappointments to be had. Living with advanced cancer is a different life, not just a journey towards death.
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