Cancer is a life-threatening disease characterized by the ability of the cells to multiply rapidly in an abnormal fashion. When these cancerous tumors develop in the ovary, the condition is termed as ovarian cancer. This type of cancer is mostly undetectable until it spreads to the stomach and pelvis, making an early diagnosis and effective treatment difficult. The most common types of ovarian cancers are epithelial and fallopian tube cancer. In this article, we will look at the main treatment methods for ovarian cancer.
Treatment
The main treatment method for ovarian cancer depends on many factors like the patient’s age, overall health, whether she plans to have children, and the stage and type of cancer. There are two types of treatments for this disease:
- Local treatments
- Systemic treatments
Local treatments
Local treatments destroy cancerous tumors without affecting the rest of the body. The two types of local treatments are surgery and radiation therapy:
- Surgery
Surgery is usually the first step to remove the tumor, and it is followed up with other procedures to eliminate the cancerous cells. The surgery required depends on the stage of cancer, and in some cases, the ovaries, uterus, or fallopian tubes may also be removed. If the affected woman wants to have children, the doctor might not remove the reproductive organs, but doing so poses a higher risk for the patient. Apart from the reproductive organs, the doctor may also remove lymph nodes. - Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays that are focused on the cancerous lump to destroy the tumor. It is a painless procedure and takes only a few minutes, but the setup time for the procedure is longer. The most common type of radiation therapy given to ovarian cancer patients is external beam radiation therapy.
Systemic treatments
Systemic therapies are the type of treatments that involve the use of medications and can reach cancerous cells at any corner of the body. The medications can be administered through an IV or orally. The types of systemic therapies are chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy:
- Chemotherapy
One of the main treatments for ovarian cancer, chemotherapy is generally coupled with surgery and is used to get rid of the malignant cells remaining after surgery. The medications are mostly given by an IV, but in some cases of ovarian cancer, they may be injected directly into the abdomen through a catheter. - Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy attacks malignant cells without affecting the neighboring cells. The main objective of this therapy is to stop the cancer cells from dividing, growing, and fixing themselves. The medications are administered through an IV or orally. - Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy involves the use of hormones or medications that block certain hormones like estrogen to treat cancer. This helps as estrogen promotes the growth of cancer cells, and reducing its production in the body helps destroy cancer more effectively. Some medications under this therapy are used for ovarian stromal tumors rather than for advanced epithelial cancer.
