Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Ovarian cancer forms in the tissues of the ovary (one of a pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed). Most ovarian cancers are either ovarian epithelial carcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells on the surface of the ovary) or malignant germ cell tumors (cancer that begins in egg cells). Cancerous ovarian tumors can also begin in stromal cells, which release hormones and connect the different structures of the ovaries, though this is less common. Ovarian epithelial, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancers form in the same tissue and are treated the same way.

Ovarian cancer treatment varies by the type of tumor. Often, two or more different treatments are used, though surgery is the main initial treatment for most ovarian cancers. Studies in early stage ovarian cancer have shown an increase in overall survival with the administration of chemotherapy, which is used in the majority of cases as a follow-up therapy to surgery. Epithelial ovarian cancer is treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Ovarian germ cell tumors are treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Ovarian stromal tumors are treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.

Guidelines suggest intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy for later stage ovarian cancer. IP chemotherapy involves injecting a concentrated dose of drugs through a thin tube into the abdominal cavity where the cancer cells are located. In a study of women with advanced ovarian cancer, those receiving IP chemotherapy lived longer than those getting regular chemotherapy, but the side effects of IP chemotherapy were often more severe.