Types of Treatment for Ovarian Cancer 

This section focuses on treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer. Other types of ovarian cancer are rare. The type of treatment you have depends on how the cancer has spread. Cancer may be confined to the ovary or spread only to spots nearby. If so, it is called local or early-stage cancer. If the cancer has spread to other places in the body, it’s called metastasis or advanced ovarian cancer.

Your doctor may suggest a combination of treatments. Doctors most often treat ovarian cancer with surgery followed by chemotherapy. These treatments are listed from the most to least common.

• Surgery. You may have surgery to both diagnose ovarian cancer and treat it. Your surgeon removes tissue and examines it for signs of cancer. But the main goal of surgery is to attempt a cure by removing the tumor or tumors. Your doctor may remove one or both ovaries and possibly surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. In rare cases, the surgeon performs a second surgery after other types of treatment to make sure all cancer is removed or to take samples of lymph nodes or other tissues. This helps determine whether cancer has spread.

• Chemotherapy. This treatment uses drugs to slow the growth of cancer and reduce the chance of its return. The goal is to try to cure the cancer. Chemotherapy is recommended in most cases. You may not have it when the cancer is in the earliest stage.

• Radiation therapy. This treatment uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. It is not often used to treat ovarian cancer. Doctors use it most often to ease the symptoms of cancer. Women with ovarian cancer usually have external radiation. This type of radiation comes from a machine directed at the tumor from outside of the body.

It’s a good idea to learn all you can about the cancer and your treatment choices so you can help make decisions about your care. One of the best ways to get the information you need is to ask your doctor and other healthcare professionals.

Make sure you ask how the treatment will change your daily life. Find out how your diet might have to change and how you will look and feel. Ask how successful the treatment usually is and find out about the risks and possible side effects. The Gynecological Cancer Foundation (www.gcf.org) and National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov) also offer information about ovarian cancer.