Ovarian Cancer Chemotherapy Misconceptions

If you have ovarian cancer, chemotherapy will likely play a role in your treatment regimen. Designed to stop cancerous cells from growing, dividing, and spreading to other organs, chemotherapy travels through the bloodstream killing cancerous cells.

“One of the common misconceptions about ovarian cancer even now is that it’s not a treatable cancer,” says Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. “In fact, studies show that 70 to 90 percent of patients with advanced ovarian cancer will respond to initial treatment strategies.”

The Chemotherapy Experience

That initial strategy almost always includes both surgery and chemotherapy. While people think they know what to expect with a surgical procedure, chemotherapy is less well known. People hear the word chemotherapy and they assume it’s going to be the treatment that’s used for someone with more advanced disease or that the toxicities and side effects will be significant. “The term chemotherapy encompasses a number of different treatments,” Dr. Urban says. And not all chemotherapy regimens are the same.

With ovarian cancer specifically, doctors have become more knowledgeable about how to deliver treatment and how to make side effects more manageable. In general, chemotherapy for ovarian cancer usually involves combining two different types of drugs:

• A platinum-based agent (usually cisplatin or carboplatin)
• A taxane, such as paclitaxel (Taxol®) or docetaxel (Taxotere®)

These drugs are delivered through an intravenous infusion typically every 3 to 4 weeks for three cycles. Then doctors usually do repeat imaging and assessments of the drugs’ effects, followed by another three cycles of treatment. But every patient experience is unique. Some patients only need fewer than six cycles. Others need more. The number of cycles required depends on several factors, including:

• The patient’s health
• The stage of disease
• Where the cancer is located
• How patients respond to treatment

“One of the biggest challenges with ovarian cancer is that the majority of patients will have their cancer come back,” Dr. Urban says. “But over the last 5 to 10 years, strategies have been developed to help patients live longer with the disease” — and live comfortably.

Managing Side Effects

The chemotherapy experience is unique to each individual, and it depends largely on the stage and distribution of disease, as well as the health of the individual patient.

“It’s normal for patients to be concerned about the side effects of treatment,” Dr. Urban says. “Some of the advances that have been made in cancer treatment are not just in the drugs we use to treat the cancers, but also in the drugs we use to help reduce the side effects from the drugs we use to treat the cancers.”

In fact, today’s chemotherapy regimens are much more tolerable than protocols from decades past and side effects tend to resolve after you complete treatment. Doctors also deliver chemotherapy in cycles with built-in rest periods to minimize side effects, such as:

• Changes in taste
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea and abdominal cramping
• Hair loss
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Mouth sores
• Neuropathy (numbness, tingling or pain in the hands and feet)

It’s important to keep your doctor informed about how you’re tolerating treatment. The reason: There are a number of medications available to help manage things like nausea and fatigue. Plus, if you’re experiencing debilitating side effects, your doctor may choose to modify your treatment regimen.

In every case, conversations with your health care team and careful planning can help you navigate the experience with the greatest ease.

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