Common Types of Ovarian Cancer Surgery
- Biopsy/Excision: To confirm whether a tumor is malignant
- Staging: To determine whether or how far the cancer has spread
- Debulking: The goal is to remove all visible tumor
Ovarian cancer patients can present with different symptoms, and their cancer could be at any stage when first diagnosed. Due to this spectrum, the surgical procedures used to treat the disease vary.
Women in an earlier stage may have “a mass on an ovary but no evidence of cancer anywhere else,” explains Dr. Marta Crispens, a gynecologic oncologist at Vanderbilt Health. For these patients, surgeons first remove the mass which is then sent to a pathology lab for analysis. If the disease has spread to different parts of the body the surgeon will proceed with a debulking operation. The goal of this surgery is to remove all visible tumor. “This would include removal of uterus, fallopian tubes, and the other ovary, biopsies of the lining of the abdomen, removal of the fatty apron known as the omentum, which hangs off the colon, and biopsies of the lymph nodes, pelvis, and aorta up to the renal vessels,” says Dr. Crispens. All these tissues are sent for analysis, too, and the resulting information will help determine further treatment.
While it is very difficult to remove all cancerous cells in the abdomen because there are so many organs and tissues for the cancer to hide behind, a skilled gynecologic oncologist can remove the vast majority of the cancer, ideally leaving behind only microscopic disease. The more tumor that can be removed before further treatment the better the patient’s prognosis. Chemotherapy typically follows surgery to attack any remaining cancer.
Chemotherapy Options
Just as is the case with the surgical procedures, the chemotherapy options for ovarian cancer patients can also vary.
Most commonly, ovarian cancer patients are treated with a combination of platinum-based therapy (carboplatin) and a drug from the taxane family (paclitaxel). These two drugs are often given together in three week intervals. The exact timing of these drug therapies depends on the larger treatment plan. If a patient is receiving chemotherapy before they undergo surgery, called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, they will usually receive three chemotherapy treatments prior to the surgery and three treatments again afterwards. But if the patients undergo surgery as a first treatment, they will usually receive six chemotherapy treatment cycles as soon as possible after recovery from the operation.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Marta A. Crispens, MD, is director, division of gynecologic oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More
Common Types of Ovarian Cancer Surgery
- Biopsy/Excision: To confirm whether a tumor is malignant
- Staging: To determine whether or how far the cancer has spread
- Debulking: The goal is to remove all visible tumor
Ovarian cancer patients can present with different symptoms, and their cancer could be at any stage when first diagnosed. Due to this spectrum, the surgical procedures used to treat the disease vary.
Women in an earlier stage may have “a mass on an ovary but no evidence of cancer anywhere else,” explains Dr. Marta Crispens, a gynecologic oncologist at Vanderbilt Health. For these patients, surgeons first remove the mass which is then sent to a pathology lab for analysis. If the disease has spread to different parts of the body the surgeon will proceed with a debulking operation. The goal of this surgery is to remove all visible tumor. “This would include removal of uterus, fallopian tubes, and the other ovary, biopsies of the lining of the abdomen, removal of the fatty apron known as the omentum, which hangs off the colon, and biopsies of the lymph nodes, pelvis, and aorta up to the renal vessels,” says Dr. Crispens. All these tissues are sent for analysis, too, and the resulting information will help determine further treatment.
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While it is very difficult to remove all cancerous cells in the abdomen because there are so many organs and tissues for the cancer to hide behind, a skilled gynecologic oncologist can remove the vast majority of the cancer, ideally leaving behind only microscopic disease. The more tumor that can be removed before further treatment the better the patient’s prognosis. Chemotherapy typically follows surgery to attack any remaining cancer.
Chemotherapy Options
Just as is the case with the surgical procedures, the chemotherapy options for ovarian cancer patients can also vary.
Most commonly, ovarian cancer patients are treated with a combination of platinum-based therapy (carboplatin) and a drug from the taxane family (paclitaxel). These two drugs are often given together in three week intervals. The exact timing of these drug therapies depends on the larger treatment plan. If a patient is receiving chemotherapy before they undergo surgery, called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, they will usually receive three chemotherapy treatments prior to the surgery and three treatments again afterwards. But if the patients undergo surgery as a first treatment, they will usually receive six chemotherapy treatment cycles as soon as possible after recovery from the operation.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Marta A. Crispens, MD, is director, division of gynecologic oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More
