Ovarian cancer care plan

A cancer diagnosis of any type can be difficult to cope with. No matter your type of ovarian cancer, our compassionate team of providers is here to help you decide what ovarian cancer care plan is best for you.

Treatment & care options for ovarian cancer

Once your type of ovarian cancer is determined, your ovarian cancer doctor will discuss cancer treatment options with you. Our goal is to keep you feeling well and pain free throughout treatment without any major changes to your usual routine.

Your ovarian cancer care plan may include surgery and a combination of therapies, including chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Both therapies can shrink the ovarian tumor before surgery or kill any remaining cells afterward.

You’ll have access to our clinical trials for cancer. Through them, you may receive the newest available treatments.

Cancer care plan:

• Surgery: The most common treatment is surgery to remove as much of the malignant ovarian tumor as possible (called “debulking”). This often involves removing both ovaries (oophorectomy) and sometimes removing other reproductive organs, such as the uterus (hysterectomy) and fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), which can help prevent the cancer from recurring. If the cancer has spread, you may also need to have some or all of your nearby lymph nodes removed (lymphadenectomy).

• Chemotherapy: These drugs help prevent the ovarian cancer from spreading to other parts of your body by killing cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs are usually given intravenously, although sometimes you can take them in pill form.
• Radiation: High-energy and low-energy sources, such as X-rays or radiation, are used to target and kill cancer cells.

• Hormone therapy: Medications such as Tamoxifen are used to slow or stop the growth of cancers by blocking the effects of estrogen or progesterone.

Types of hysterectomy surgery

Your ovarian cancer doctor may recommend hysterectomy. Different methods are used depending on the size and location of your ovarian cancer. Your surgical team will also consider whether the cancer is growing quickly or slowly. Options include:

• Total hysterectomy: Removal of the whole uterus, including the cervix, but not the fallopian tubes or ovaries.
• Radical hysterectomy: Removal of the uterus, cervix, and the top part of the vagina; pelvic lymph nodes may also be removed.
• Supracervical hysterectomy: Removal of the uterus while leaving the cervix whole.
• Hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy: Removal of one or both ovaries, and the fallopian tubes, along with the uterus.
• Abdominal hysterectomy: The reproductive organs are removed via an incision in the abdomen, either vertically from the navel down or horizontally along the top of the pubic hairline.
• Vaginal hysterectomy: The uterus is removed through the vaginal opening. You won’t need an incision which means no visible scarring.
• Laparoscope-assisted vaginal hysterectomy: The uterus is removed in sections through a laparoscope tube inserted through tiny incisions in the abdomen or through the vagina. This results in minimal visible scarring and faster recovery.

It's important to note that some ovarian cancer treatments will impact your ability to have children. If preserving your fertility is important to you, let your doctor know. They will discuss various options with you.