| What is Ovarian Cancer Treatment? |
Ovarian cancer is the highest percentage compared to other cancers. But various treatments landslide in state by the experts advise as surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy and radiation therapy.
- Surgery
Surgery is the main treatment for most ovarian cancers. The aim for this surgery is staging and debulking(removing as much of a tumor possible). Cancers that are debulked properly are called optimally debulked. Women with these cancers have a better outlook for survival than cancers that are not debulked properly (called sub-optimally debulked). Other than that, debulking is very important in any patient with ovarian cancer that has already spread widely throughout the abdomen at the time of surgery. If both ovaries and/or the uterus are removed you will not be able to become pregnant. If the cancer is in only one ovary and the patient still wants to b e able to have children.
- Chemotherapy
Chemo for ovarian cancer most often is a combination 2 or more drugs, given IV every 3 to 4 weeks. Chemotherapy involves using anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to kill cancer cells. Usually it will give after surgery. In some cases, it can be given before surgery as it may help shrink the tumor and make it easier to remove. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is usually given as a drip into the vein, but is sometimes given as tablets. Side effects for this treatment are infection, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, tiredness, hair loss and sore mouth.
- Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy used hormone-blocking drugs to fight cancer. The hormone therapies are Luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, Tamoxifen and Aromatase inhibitors. LHRH is drugs are used to lower estrogen level in women premenopausal. Other than that, LHRH will switch off estrogen production by the ovaries. These drugs are injected every 1 to 3 months.
Tamoxifen treatment is to treat advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. It acts as anti-estrogen in many tissues in the body, but as a weak estrogen in other. The aim of tamoxifen treatment therapy is to keep any estrogen circulating in the woman’s body from stimulating cancer cell growth.
Aromatase inhibitors are drugs that block an enzyme (called aromatase) that turns other hormones into estrogen in post-menopausal women. They don’t stop the ovaries from making estrogen, so they are only helpful in lowering estrogen levels in women after menopause.
- Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays or particles to kill cancer cells. These x-rays may be given in a procedure that is much like having a regular (diagnostic) x-ray. External beam radiation therapy is the main type of radiation therapy used to treat ovarian cancer. Treatments are given 5 days a week for several weeks. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes and is similar to having a regular x-ray. As with a regular x-ray, the radiation passes through the skin and other tissues before it reaches the tumor. The actual time of exposure to radiation is very short, and most of the visit is spent getting the patient precisely positioned so that the radiation is aimed accurately at the cancer. Side effects for this treatment are skin changes, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea and vaginal irritation.
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