Saturday, September 8, 2012

OC Awareness Month #8 -Treatments

Today I will review the treatment that a women diagnosed with ovarian cancer might receive. Of course every woman is different so your actual treatment might differ.

*A women diagnosed with ovarian cancer should see a  gynecologic oncologist ( gyn-onc) . Research has shown that women who receive surgery and treatment by a gyn-onc have higher survival rates.

There are different treatments offered to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Such as :

Surgery :
Hysterectomy- removal of the uterus and sometimes the cervix
Oopherectomy - removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes
Oomectomey - removal of the oomentum the fatty covering of the abdomen
Lymph node biopsy-removal of lymph nodes which are examined for cancer

Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy drugs disrupt the multiplication of cancer cells or kills them outright.The chemotherapy may be give IV, intravenously, where the drug is introduced into a vein or IP , intraperitoneal where the drug is introduced into the peritoneal cavity. Women may receive a combination of two drugs.

The most common drugs given to women with OC are carboplatin, cisplatin and paclitaxel. Additional drugs may be found on this NCI site http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/druginfo/ovariancancer.You might also receive targeted therapy , drugs or biologics. Targeted therapy will affect cancer cells but leave normal cells alone.

Radiation:
Radiation may be used to kill cancer cells in some cases of OC. The level depends on the type of OC cancer and stage of the disease.

 Source : http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/ovarianepithelial/Patient/page4


Tomorrow the stages of ovarian cancer

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

2 comments:

Rachie317 said...

Its important to note that some women only require surgery to remove the tumor or a single ovary. When I was first diagnosed, after an emergency Oopherectomy of just my left ovary, I was told a full hysterectomy, with removal of my remaining ovary as well, was my ONLY option. As a 32year old, without children, I was devestated. Luckily, I withstood pressure from that doctor (who insisted it must be done that day, while i was still hospitalized for the emergency surgery) and arranged for a second opinion. I had a exploratory lap where they removed my omentum, multiple lymph nodes, and found no remaining cancer. Almost one year later, I still have my uterus and remaining ovary - and my ability to potentially have biological children. I know its not the norm, but women at the beginning stages of diagnosis need to know that there is hope for a non-worst case scenario.

Dee said...

Rachie317
Thanks for the comment. As you noted not all women require chemotherapy or a complete hysterectomy. It depends on the stage of the disease( which I will post about tomorrow) , age of the woman and whether or not the woman wants to preserve her fertility. I am glad you were your own advocate and able to have the surgery that was right for your situation.

I have never had radiation but know of a few women who have.