Risks Of Ovarian Cancer Surgery
- Like any surgery, there is risk of infection, bleeding, and damaged organs
- Ovarian cancer surgery is generally safe and less than 3 percent of patients experience severe issues
- People who are older and have more comorbidities are at higher risk during surgery
In most cases, ovarian cancer surgeries are successful and safe. However, like any operation, it’s important that patients understand possible risks that could occur, and how to be safe after surgery.
“Any surgery has inherent danger for infection, bleeding, damaged internal organs, and the risk of the anesthia,” Dr. Kellie Schneider, a gynecologic oncologist at Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, tells SurvivorNet. “However, the mortality for most people with this type of surgery, meaning the chances of having something catastrophic happen, is less than 3 percent and for a lot of patients less than 1 percent.”
Patients who have higher comorbidities and are of older age are more at risk than other patients, but Dr. Schneider reassures that overall ovarian cancer surgeries are safe in most cases and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) visits are extremely rare.
“Overall it’s a very safe procedure,” Dr. Schneider says.
A question many patients have after undergoing surgery is when it is safe to eat after a procedure. According to Dr. Schneider, the rules have changed over the years. Initially, patients would have to wait days to eat after going through an operation, but oncologists found that slowed down bowel recovery. Now, patients are put on a clear liquid diet right after surgery and most are able to move onto solid food three days after surgery. However, a patient’s eating schedule depends on whether they had bowel work done during surgery. Once patients return home, they don’t have a strict food diet to follow.
How Ovarian Cancer Surgery Has Improved
There have been major research advancements in the oncology field that have made ovarian cancer a generally safe procedure. In the 60’s, ovarian cancer surgery almost always involved opening up a woman’s abdomen and using scissors and knives to remove all visible cancer. Now, with the “da Vinci Robot,” which can be used to perform a minimally-invasive surgery for about half of women with ovarian cancer, the procedure is much more precise and risk is significantly lower.
“Since about 2006, we have shifted over doing the majority of our surgical cases with the old open technique,” Dr. Allan James (“A.J.”) White, a gynecologic oncologist at the START Center for Cancer Care, tells SurvivorNet in a separate interview. “I would say, at this time, we do more than half of our surgical procedures using the robot.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Risks Of Ovarian Cancer Surgery
- Like any surgery, there is risk of infection, bleeding, and damaged organs
- Ovarian cancer surgery is generally safe and less than 3 percent of patients experience severe issues
- People who are older and have more comorbidities are at higher risk during surgery
In most cases, ovarian cancer surgeries are successful and safe. However, like any operation, it’s important that patients understand possible risks that could occur, and how to be safe after surgery.
“Any surgery has inherent danger for infection, bleeding, damaged internal organs, and the risk of the anesthia,” Dr. Kellie Schneider, a gynecologic oncologist at Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, tells SurvivorNet. “However, the mortality for most people with this type of surgery, meaning the chances of having something catastrophic happen, is less than 3 percent and for a lot of patients less than 1 percent.”
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Patients who have higher comorbidities and are of older age are more at risk than other patients, but Dr. Schneider reassures that overall ovarian cancer surgeries are safe in most cases and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) visits are extremely rare.
“Overall it’s a very safe procedure,” Dr. Schneider says.
A question many patients have after undergoing surgery is when it is safe to eat after a procedure. According to Dr. Schneider, the rules have changed over the years. Initially, patients would have to wait days to eat after going through an operation, but oncologists found that slowed down bowel recovery. Now, patients are put on a clear liquid diet right after surgery and most are able to move onto solid food three days after surgery. However, a patient’s eating schedule depends on whether they had bowel work done during surgery. Once patients return home, they don’t have a strict food diet to follow.
How Ovarian Cancer Surgery Has Improved
There have been major research advancements in the oncology field that have made ovarian cancer a generally safe procedure. In the 60’s, ovarian cancer surgery almost always involved opening up a woman’s abdomen and using scissors and knives to remove all visible cancer. Now, with the “da Vinci Robot,” which can be used to perform a minimally-invasive surgery for about half of women with ovarian cancer, the procedure is much more precise and risk is significantly lower.
“Since about 2006, we have shifted over doing the majority of our surgical cases with the old open technique,” Dr. Allan James (“A.J.”) White, a gynecologic oncologist at the START Center for Cancer Care, tells SurvivorNet in a separate interview. “I would say, at this time, we do more than half of our surgical procedures using the robot.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
