Ovarian Cancer

Surgery is often the first stage in treatment for ovarian cancer. During surgery, a biopsy will be taken to determine the type of ovarian cancer you have and whether further treatment will be required. Depending on the stage of your ovarian cancer, you will receive one of the below surgical procedures.

As hormones can be a source of fuel for ovarian cancer, hormone therapies can be used to block or lower your body’s natural hormones to stop hormone-sensitive cancers from growing or returning. For ovarian cancer, hormone therapy is mainly used to treat stromal tumours. Hormone therapy treatment is commonly given as a tablet or injection. In some cases, surgery may be used to remove the parts of the body that produce hormones.

Targeted therapies use specialised drugs to destroy specific proteins in ovarian cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells intact. These drugs aim to stop ovarian cancer cells from repairing themselves when they get damaged.

When you are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, your oncologist will develop your treatment plan as part of a multidisciplinary team based on the stage of your cancer. Most treatment plans will begin with surgery to determine the cancer stage and to remove as much of the tumour(s) as possible. The tumour removal is often referred to as debulking. Following surgery, cycles of chemotherapy will be given. In cases of more advanced ovarian cancer, targeted therapies may be administered along with chemotherapy.