By Sandra Ray, Staff Writer
Women with several risk factors or a personal
history of breast cancer could be screened with a
vaginal ultrasound and possibly blood tests that
screen for “tumor markers.” Tumor markers can
include testing for increased amounts of CA-125 or a
protein in the blood that is generally higher in
women who have ovarian cancer. There are still many
clinical trials to develop further lines of research
along blood tests so that quicker methods of
detection can be brought to light.
Treatment:
Surgery is usually one of the first lines of
defense when fighting ovarian cancer. Surgical
options depend heavily on how far the cancer has
spread and the type of ovarian cancer that is
present. Some of these options can include removal
of one or both ovaries, a total hysterectomy – which
includes removal of the uterus as well as the
ovaries – or cutting away the tumors in the tissues,
leaving as much of the reproductive system intact as
possible.
One thing to remember is that once a surgeon
starts to remove tissue, he needs to have approval
to remove as much as he feels necessary in order to
prevent the cancer cells from spreading. Cancer that
is not removed can quickly spread as a result of the
surgery. Discuss how much surgery needs to be
performed, especially if the woman is still old
enough and wants to continue bearing children after
treating the cancer. Bear in mind that once the
procedure starts the surgeon may need to do more
tissue removal than first anticipated and discuss
the possibility that the surgery will be more
extensive than first anticipated.
Depending on the stage of the cancer and the
success of the surgery, chemotherapy and radiation
treatment may or may not be necessary. Chemotherapy
uses high-powered medications to destroy
cancer-causing cells in the body. Unfortunately,
chemotherapy does not discriminate between cancer
cells and non-cancer cells, so normal cells are
often killed during treatment as well. There are a
number of side effects of chemotherapy that include
nausea, vomiting, anemia (low red blood cell count),
hair loss, and decreased white blood cell and
platelet counts. Medications are available to combat
these side effects, with the exception of hair loss.
Generally hair will begin to grow back after
chemotherapy is completed.
Chemotherapy is used in the event that doctors
were not able to determine if all cancer was removed
during surgery. The higher the staging of the
cancer, the more likely it is that chemotherapy will
be needed. Some tumors, for example, may not be
removed completely by surgery and chemotherapy, in
conjunction with radiation therapy, can shrink the
tumors.
Most, but not all chemotherapy treatments are
given intravenously, either through an IV that is
inserted at each treatment or through an IV port
that stays in the vein and accessed each time a
treatment is needed. The port can be removed when
chemotherapy is completed. Some chemotherapy
treatments are given orally, while others may be
given directly into the abdominal cavity or into a
muscle (intramuscular). The type of chemotherapy
used depends on the type of ovarian cancer being
treated. In addition, the number of doses and the
frequency also depend on the stage; these factors
also take into consideration how quickly a patient
can recover from a dose of chemotherapy treatment.
Some patients can endure chemotherapy once every
three weeks, while others may need slightly longer
to recover. Normal cells need the chance to “bounce
back” while not allowing cancer cells the same
opportunity to recover. The doctor will discuss each
of these factors when prescribing a treatment plan
for chemotherapy.
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