Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Your team of specialists in medical oncology, gynecologic oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology will work together to assess your best course of ovarian cancer treatment. That will involve the creation of a coordinated plan, staging the disease and designing a personalized treatment plan consistent with the highest standards of care. Your treatment will be tailored to your specific type of ovarian cancer, and it may involve a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Ovarian Cancer Surgery
Surgery is part of the treatment for all stages of ovarian cancer, and in earlier stages it might be the only treatment. WellStar offers some of the best ovarian cancer physicians in the nation and some of the top surgeons.
Surgical treatment typically involves an extensive operation that includes the removal of some or all of the reproductive organs as well as any cancer that might have spread into parts of the abdomen. For women with Stage 1 ovarian cancer, surgery may involve the removal of only one ovarian and its fallopian tube, preserving the ability for them to have children later.
In more advanced stages of the disease, treatment might require the removal of the uterus (total hysterectomy) or the removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes (bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy).
Medical Oncology/Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs given by mouth or injection to destroy cancer cells. It can be used to assist in the cure of cancer patients or to prolong life or the quality of life. Adjuvant chemotherapy is administered after surgery in certain circumstances when the patient is at high risk for recurrence.
Medical oncologists at WellStar believe in a personalized approach to ovarian cancer therapy - often guided by the genetics of the cancer and the condition of the patient.
Radiation Therapy
Since ovarian cancer is chemotherapy sensitive, radiation therapy plays a lesser role in this disease, but can be used for palliative purposes to lesson symptoms in a specific region.