Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
- Most ovarian cancer patients will receive a combination of two chemotherapy drugs called carboplatin and Taxol
- The number of cycles a woman receives and the timing of the treatment will vary
- Most women can plan to keep up their normal routines during chemotherapy, but it can help to plan for a flexible schedule in case you need to rest and stay home some days
While every woman’s cancer is different, one of the encouraging things about ovarian cancer is that historically it has been shown to initially respond well, in many cases, to treatment with chemotherapy.
For this reason, chemotherapy is considered a part of what’s called “standard of care” for ovarian cancer. Specifically, most women will receive a combination of two chemotherapy drugs called carboplatin and Taxol. These are generally the “go-to” chemo drugs for ovarian cancer.
While this may remain standard across most women with ovarian cancer, what differs significantly based on the unique case is the timing at which the chemotherapy is administered and in how many cycles it is given.
Many women, for instance, will receive chemotherapy after surgery, and will receive about six cycles of it. Other women may need to have three or four cycles of chemo prior to their surgery — called “neoadjuvant chemotherapy” — followed by additional chemo given after surgery.
The timing, frequency, and dose of chemotherapy should all be decisions that you and your oncologist will make together.
As far as side effects, women should expect to feel more tired than usual, but Dr. Yvette Williams-Brown, a gynecologic oncologist at the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes at UT Health Austin, says she advises women to continue to try to maintain a normal routine insofar as they can.
“I advise patients that whatever they were doing before chemotherapy, they can reasonably do that during and after chemotherapy,” says Dr. Williams-Brown. “So that would include things such as work and exercise.” Having said that, Dr. Williams-Brown also adds that many patients may need some time off to recover and rest during the cycles of chemo, which is why it can be helpful to plan for a flexible schedule in case you are feeling too great some days.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
- Most ovarian cancer patients will receive a combination of two chemotherapy drugs called carboplatin and Taxol
- The number of cycles a woman receives and the timing of the treatment will vary
- Most women can plan to keep up their normal routines during chemotherapy, but it can help to plan for a flexible schedule in case you need to rest and stay home some days
While every woman’s cancer is different, one of the encouraging things about ovarian cancer is that historically it has been shown to initially respond well, in many cases, to treatment with chemotherapy.
For this reason, chemotherapy is considered a part of what’s called “standard of care” for ovarian cancer. Specifically, most women will receive a combination of two chemotherapy drugs called carboplatin and Taxol. These are generally the “go-to” chemo drugs for ovarian cancer.
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While this may remain standard across most women with ovarian cancer, what differs significantly based on the unique case is the timing at which the chemotherapy is administered and in how many cycles it is given.
Many women, for instance, will receive chemotherapy after surgery, and will receive about six cycles of it. Other women may need to have three or four cycles of chemo prior to their surgery — called “neoadjuvant chemotherapy” — followed by additional chemo given after surgery.
The timing, frequency, and dose of chemotherapy should all be decisions that you and your oncologist will make together.
As far as side effects, women should expect to feel more tired than usual, but Dr. Yvette Williams-Brown, a gynecologic oncologist at the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes at UT Health Austin, says she advises women to continue to try to maintain a normal routine insofar as they can.
“I advise patients that whatever they were doing before chemotherapy, they can reasonably do that during and after chemotherapy,” says Dr. Williams-Brown. “So that would include things such as work and exercise.” Having said that, Dr. Williams-Brown also adds that many patients may need some time off to recover and rest during the cycles of chemo, which is why it can be helpful to plan for a flexible schedule in case you are feeling too great some days.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
