institute for cancer research

Ovarian Cancer Treatment – Modalities

Introduction

The ovarian cancer treatment plan is specifically designed keeping in view a series of factors, including the patient history and symptoms of the disease.

The common symptoms associated with ovarian cancer include heaviness in pelvis, pain in the lower abdomen, vaginal bleeding, weight gain or loss, abnormal periods, unexplained back pain, nausea and loss of appetite.

In addition to the conventional forms of methods available for the ovarian cancer treatment, a number of options for alternative treatment for ovarian cancer are also available.

Treatment Options

The plan for ovarian cancer treatment cancer depends upon a series of factors. These normally include the stage and grade of the disease, histopathologic type and the patient's age and overall health.

Ovarian cancer treatment plan generally involves the following three types of procedures:

i)                   Surgery, for the removal of cancerous tissue

ii)                  Chemotherapy, for destroying cells using strong anti-cancer drugs

iii)                Radiotherapy, for destroying cells using a high-energy radiation exposure

 In this section, we have discussed each one of these in detail.

Surgery is one of the most important and common forms of ovarian cancer treatment. To begin with, surgery helps the physician to accurately locate the tumor, make a diagnosis and perform debulking .i.e. removal of the maximum possible quantity of tumor mass.

Debulking surgery is a very crucial aspect of the ovarian cancer treatment because the aggressive removal of cancerous tissue is often associated with an improved survival rate. Patients who benefit the best from this treatment include those with no residual mass or tumor masses that measure less than 1 cm.

Once the ovarian cancer is confirmed through a series of procedures, the surgeon might decide to opt for either of the below:

·         Total hysterectomy or removal of the uterus

·         Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or removal of the fallopian tubes an ovaries on both sides

·         Omentectomy or removal of the fatty tissue that covers the bowels

·         Lymphadenectomy or removal of one or more lymph nodes

Meanwhile, chemotherapy involves using drugs to destroy cancer cells. Many of these drugs destroy cancer cells by preventing them from growing and dividing at a rapid rate. However, with the use of chemotherapy, many normal cells are also likely to divide rapidly, causing further damage.

As a part of the ovarian cancer treatment, there are normally four ways to administer chemotherapy. The most common method is the intravenous injection, followed by options like intraperitoneal injection, oral administration and intramuscular injections.

Several oral drugs are administered in the pill form as a part of the first or second line of ovarian cancer treatment. These include drugs such as etoposide, melphalan and hexamethylamine.

Alternative Treatment for Ovarian Cancer

In addition to the above listed methods, there are a series of options for complementary and alternative treatment for ovarian cancer. Methods such as naturopathic medicine, nutritional therapy, mind-body medicine, image enhancement and spiritual enhancement and counseling are often used as the alternative treatment for ovarian cancer.

The options for alternative treatment for ovarian cancer are often accompanied by fewer side effects and usually work well with patients in the earlier stages of the disease. Overall, these form an integral part of the overall plan for ovarian cancer treatment.

© 2005 - Cancer Treatment - Prevention - Research - A.P.John Cancer Institute
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