Treatment of ovarian cancer: surgical and oncological + prognosis

Treatment for ovarian cancer depends on the type of tumour and its stage.

Treatment of early-stage cancer is easier. Some cancers are treatable even at a later stage.

The most common is epithelial carcinoma, which arises from the surface cells of the ovary.

In stage 1, it is treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy.

Depending on the stage of the cancer and its size , treatment may involve first chemotherapy to shrink the tumour and then surgical removal. If surgery is not possible, only chemotherapy is given.

Treatment of ovarian cancer

The mainstay of treatment is surgery and removal of the tumour at an early stage.

Advanced ovarian cancer is mainly treated with surgery. This is followed by chemotherapy and in some cases targeted therapy.

• Chemotherapy involves the administration of cytostatics - anti-cancer drugs to destroy the cancer cells.
• Targeted treatment is also called biological therapy. It involves giving drugs that block the growth of cancer cells. They block them from getting the nutrients they need to grow. This leads to the starvation of the tumour. These drugs are added to chemotherapy or given as maintenance treatment after chemotherapy.
• Radiotherapy is the use of X-rays to destroy cancer cells.
• Immunotherapy boosts immunity and defends the body against cancer cells.
• Surgical treatment

Surgery is performed by an oncogynecologist.

In surgical treatment, the oncogynecologist decides the type and kind of surgery according to the stage and extent of the cancer. During surgery, he or she tries to remove all the cancer deposits.

Surgery is many times necessary to determine the actual extent of the cancer and its stage. During surgery, samples of tissue, lymph nodes and fluid found in the abdominal cavity are taken for histological examination.

In stage 1 cancer, follow-up chemotherapy is often not necessary.

Surgery depends on which part of the tissue is affected by the cancer.

Types of surgery

• Removal of the ovary and fallopian tube. Only the affected side is removed. One ovary and fallopian tube are left for a planned future pregnancy. This procedure depends on the extent of the cancer and whether the woman plans to have children.
• Removal of the uterus is necessary in the case of epithelial tumors.
• For lymph node removal, the surgeon removes lymph nodes in the pelvis. They could be causing cancer cells to move to other parts and organs of the woman's body.
• Removal of the omentum, the fibrous membrane that covers the stomach and intestines. This membrane is often attacked in advanced cancer
• Extensive surgery involves all the procedures mentioned so far to remove all the cancer sites.
• Removal of parts of tissue affected by cancer is done when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and metastasized. The aim of this surgery is to improve the patient's condition, relieve symptoms of the disease and improve further treatment with chemotherapy.

After treatment, a woman should see her doctor every 3 months for 2 years and every 6 months thereafter. At this check-up, your doctor will examine you, do blood tests, and may recommend a CT scan, MRI, or positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scan. This will make sure the cancer has not returned. If the cancer has returned, the best possible treatment will be determined.

Prognosis

The prognosis depends on various factors. These include the stage of the disease, the type and aggressiveness of the tumour, the success of the treatment given and the patient's general condition.

If ovarian cancer is detected at an early stage of the disease, up to 90% of patients survive. This is a very favourable prognosis.

Unfortunately, most cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. This worsens the prognosis and reduces the chance of survival by 20%.

Up to 75% of cases are detected in the late stages of the disease. Treatment is difficult and prognosis is poor. Metastases in the body are to blame. Approximately 35% of patients survive for another 5 years after diagnosis.

Ovarian cancer has a higher mortality rate compared to other gynaecological cancers.