Debulking Surgery Vs. Staging Surgery For Ovarian Cancer
- The type of surgery patients will go through is determined by their stage of ovarian cancer
- Staging surgeries are done for early stage ovarian cancer, which involves removing an ovarian mass which shows no evidence of outside cancer
- Debulking surgeries are much more extensive and lengthier. This procedure is done to remove any visible sight of cancer, which may require resecting other parts of the body including bowels, spleen, and the diaphragm.
“In those cases we do staging surgery to take out the neighboring structure, the lymph nodes, and do additional biopsies to determine the extent of the stage of the cancer,” Dr. Rasool explains to SurvivorNet.
Read MoreManaging Pain After Ovarian Cancer Surgery
Recovering from surgery can be a difficult process for many patients, but Dr. Matthew Carlson, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, told SurvivorNet that doctors make sure patients’ pain is controlled.
"Our goal with pain control is to get the patient up and walking around even on the day of surgery so that we can have faster return of bowel and bladder function," says Dr. Carlson.
While some may assume pain is managed through painkillers, Dr. Carlson says that doctors have gotten really good at helping women manage their pain without narcotic painkillers. Many women will be given an epidural, meaning a shot that numbs the lower half of the body similar to what many women might be given during childbirth. This can last for several days during the early recovery period. Additionally, many women will be given anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or a drug called Gabapentin that isolates nerve pain.
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