For women facing ovarian cancer surgery, the timing between diagnosis and operation depends on what type of surgical procedure best meets the patient's needs. There are typically two options: an upfront surgical procedure which could occur as quickly as two weeks after diagnosis, or an interval debulking in which all visible evidence of disease is removed after three or four cycles of chemotherapy, according to Dr. Kellie Schneider, Gynecologic Oncologist at Novant Health.
"If we think that the disease is one that we can optimally debulk," she explains, "meaning removal of all active disease at the time of upfront surgery, surgery within two weeks from diagnosis is our goal."
Read More Ovarian cancer diagnosis cannot always be confirmed before surgery takes place. "With some of our ovarian cancer patients, we don't go into surgery knowing for sure that they have cancer," Dr. Schneider explains. " But it is a relatively aggressive cancer, and we don't want to delay surgery any longer than necessary because we do worry about spread in the interim." Additionally, she points out, most patients are anxious to proceed with surgery, not only to address the issues but to alleviate the stress of waiting to achieve the best possible outcome. Despite the preference to perform all surgical components of treatment as quickly as possible, there are cases in which it cannot and should not be step one. For some women, treatment first requires months before surgery can take place. "For a lot of patients," Dr. Schneider notes, "particularly advanced stage 3 and 4, we do chemotherapy which takes three or four cycles prior to surgery, so surgery can be four months from diagnosis." A targeted approach for optimal ovarian cancer treatment is more than a diagnosis and more than a surgery. It requires a plan, with ongoing oversight, that embraces every weapon in the medical arsenal for best results.
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