How Is Ovarian Cancer Treated?

This content has been reviewed and approved by

Maurie Markman, MD
Vice President, Clinical Research
MD Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas

Your type and stage of cancer will largely determine the method your physician recommends for treating your illness. The traditional ways of treating ovarian cancer are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (drugs). Nearly all women with ovarian cancer will undergo surgery and chemotherapy.

Specific treatment for ovarian cancer will be determined by your physician based on:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history
• Extent of the disease
• Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• Expectations for the course of the disease
• Your opinion or preference

The successful treatment of ovarian cancer requires the involvement and coordination of several different treatment approaches, including surgery, chemotherapy and, in rare cases, radiation therapy.

Despite surgical removal of the cancer, the large majority of patients with ovarian cancer will already have microscopic cancer cells called micrometastases. These spread away from the ovary to other locations in the abdomen and distant parts of the body.

Information obtained during surgery and from other tests determines whether additional treatment with chemotherapy is necessary. Because most patients with ovarian cancer have advanced disease at diagnosis, the majority of patients will receive chemotherapy as part of the overall treatment plan.

Ovarian cancers may spread to other organs in the pelvis, local or regional lymph nodes, the surface of the abdominal contents, or through the blood to other locations in the body, such as the lungs, liver, and less frequently, to other organs. To effectively plan treatment, it is important to first determine the extent of the spread or the stage of the cancer.

Surgery - Surgery for ovarian cancer may include:

• Salpingo-oophorectomy - surgery to remove the fallopian tubes and ovaries
• Hysterectomy - surgical removal of the uterus
• Pelvic lymph node dissection - removal of some lymph nodes from the pelvis

Chemotherapy - the use of anticancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. In most cases, chemotherapy works by interfering with the cancer cell's ability to grow or reproduce. Different groups of drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells. The oncologist will recommend a treatment plan for each individual.

Radiation therapy - the use of high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and to shrink tumors. Radiation therapy, like surgery, is a local treatment used to eliminate or eradicate cancer that can be encompassed within a radiation field. Currently, the use of radiation therapy has largely been replaced by chemotherapy. However, radiation may be used if the cancer recurs in a local area and surgical removal is not believed to be an appropriate option.