Depending on the type of cancer affecting the ovaries, different combination of treatment and drugs might be administered:

• Ovarian cancer surgery
• Ovarian cancer chemotherapy
• Ovarian cancer hormone therapy
• Ovarian cancer immunotherapy
• Ovarian cancer targeted therapy

Surgery Options

Patients who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer have to undergo surgical staging to reduce the amount of the cancer and to evaluate the extent of the cancer spread.

Salpingo-oophorectomy

This is the surgery where the ovaries and fallopian tube are removed.

Hysterectomy

This is where the surgeon removes the uterus and other surrounding affected parts. If at this stage, there are no surrounding tissues that are affected and only the uterus is removed, the procedure is a partial hysterectomy.

Dissection of lymph nodes

This is the surgery where the lymph nodes in the pelvis and near the aorta are removed.

Cytoreductive surgery

The cancer has spread beyond the pelvic region. The doctor removes and reduces as much affected cancerous tissues as possible. The cancer might have spread to organs like the gallbladder and pancreas. The surgeon then removes all the affected tissues.

Chemotherapy Drugs for Ovarian Cancer

Chemotherapy is usually used to treat cancer cells that surgery did not manage to remove or have completely failed to remove the cells.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy medications are the drugs that deliver poisonous chemicals to the cancer cells hence playing a crucial role on defeating the cancer metastases abilities.

A chemotherapy treatment option usually takes accounts in cycles and sessions of about 3 to 6 sessions. It is administered 3 to 4 weeks apart giving the body time to recover from the effects of the drugs and their implications.

Immunotherapy/Targeted Therapy for Ovarian Cancer

These are new medications and drugs that are developed to reach specific functions and pathways in cancer cells. Such medications are like: Bevacizumab also known as Avastin, Lynparza and others like Olaparib

The effectiveness and advantageous use of targeted chemotherapy drugs is because they limit damage to normal cells and reduces common side effects that is brought by other medications.

Side effects of chemotherapy treatment option

Chemotherapy targets cells that divide rapidly inside the body and leads to multiple side effects:

• Hair loss
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Anemia and mouth sores.

Often hormone therapy is included during treatment to help avoid estrogen from reaching the cancer cells. This helps to slow down the rapid growth of cancer cells.