The Standard Protocol
- Paclitaxel and carboplatin are the main chemotherapy drugs for ovarian cancer
- Both are usually administered via IV once every three weeks
- Infusion typically lasts about six hours and is generally well tolerated while being administered
“Typically the infusion of paclitaxel and carboplatinum chemotherapy is done in an infusion center close to the oncologist’s office,” says Dr. Alvarez. In order to avoid having to put a new port into a patient’s veins for each dose of chemotherapy, doctors will sometimes place a “port-a-cath”, which is a catheter placed under the skin that allows the infusion nurses to access the veins without having to start a new IV every time. The infusion generally takes about six hours.
Read More The usual protocol is for patients to receive the drugs every three weeks. Depending on the stage of cancer and the patient’s medical history, three of the treatments may be given before surgery and three after. Or surgery may be done first, with six treatments following surgical recovery. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, some patients who ordinarily would have received surgery first may now have their procedure postponed in favor of chemotherapy to treat the cancer until the surgery is safer to perform. Chemotherapy for ovarian cancer does cause side effects, which can include hair loss, fatigue, nausea, constipation, anemia, and neuropathy (a tingling, numbness, or burning pain in the hands and feet). Most of these side effects can be managed very well. Patients are monitored carefully for more serious effects, and in some cases therapy may have be to be rescheduled, or doses adjusted. “But most patients tolerate the infusions well,” says Dr. Alvarez. “Some patients may have a hypersensitivity reaction, in which case we have to administer some additional medications and slow down the rate of infusion.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
