Ovarian cancer is a devastating illness that often shows no signs or symptoms. If caught in the early stages, ovarian cancer has a five-year survival rate of nearly 93 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. Symptoms, when they do occur, include increased abdominal pain, bloating, pressure, urinary urgency and pelvic discomfort. These symptoms often mimic other illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome making early diagnosis difficult. Once physicians have made a diagnosis, a cancer specialist will create a course of treatment to most effectively treat the cancer.
Surgery
The first step in cancer treatment often involves surgery. Surgeons will remove the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes as well as some lymph nodes from the pelvis and abdomen, says the American Cancer Society. Physicians will examine the organs for visible tumors and other signs of cancer. Determining to what degree the cancer has progressed is vital for proper treatment. This is known as staging. Once the surgeon has determined the stage of the cancer the next step in the surgery involves removing as much of the tumor as possible, known as debulking the tumor.
Debulking
In ovarian cancer, a specialist known as a gynecologic oncologist most often performs the surgical debulking. The goal, according to the American Cancer Society, is to leave no tumors larger than one centimeter. Following the surgery, women usually stay in the hospital up to seven days after the operation and return to normal activities within four to six weeks. The removal of the reproductive organs means that a woman will no longer be able to conceive and will begin menopause.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill the cancerous cells. Patients may receive chemotherapy drugs by mouth, through a catheter in the vein or, in the case of ovarian cancer, directly into the abdominal cavity. MayoClinic.com website states that the initial ovarian cancer treatment usually involves the medications carboplatin and paclitaxel. Typically, the chemotherapy for ovarian cancer involves six cycles. A cycle is a complex medication schedule that allows for regular dosing of specific chemotherapy medications at specific times, followed by a rest period. Chemotherapy medications may cause many side effects including, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, hand and foot rashes, kidney damage, nerve damage, mouth sores, fatigue, increased risk for bleeding, infections and shortness of breath.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation treatments involve the use of high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells to shrink tumors, according to the American Cancer Society. Physicians may choose radiation placed internally near the tumor site to minimize damage to the surrounding tissues or radiation that takes place outside the body. Radiation treatments may cause a sunburn type rash that dissipates usually within six months to a year. Other side effects may occur such as fatigue, nausea and diarrhea.
