Factors To Keep In Mind Before Going For Ovarian Cancer Treatment

For the ovarian cancer treatment, there are certain factors that are to be kept in your mind for best treatment.

They are: If you are planning for children or not, stage of health, personal facts.

According to some studies, the ovarian cancer treatment can be given to older women. Before you take a decision be sure that you understand the side effects and risk factors of the treatment.

Ovarian cancer treatment is done by surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Among them, two or some times three treatments are done to cure this disease.

Surgery depends on your health, whether your plans to have children or not or how much area the cancer has spread. For ovarian cancer, there are different types of surgery. The names for the surgery are given based on the organ involved in operation.

The removal of uterus is known as hysterectomy. As there are two ovaries, the removal of one ovary or both may involve. If one is removed, then it is called as unilateral Oophorectomy and if two are involved then it is called as bilateral Oophorectomy.

You will not get pregnancy if both the ovaries are removed. It will take some time for recovery after the surgery, about 4 to 6 weeks of time.

Debulking (or cytoreduction) is a procedure done by doctor to remove as much as possible, if any tumor is left unresolved even after the surgery.

Chemotherapy is the method used to kill the cancer cells by drugs. The drugs are administered orally or given into your veins. They spread into the body once they reach the blood stream. When the cancer spreads beyond the ovaries, this treatment is used for better result.

The drugs directly given to the abdomen reach the cancer cells stopping the cancer to spread to other parts of your body.

The chemotherapy given may damage the other organs while killing the cancer cells leading to the side effects.

• Mouth sores
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting and nausea
• Foot and hand rashes
• Loss of hair
• Tiredness
• Nerve or kidney damage
• Bruising and bleeding after the cuts

Most of the side effects will go away as soon as the treatment ends. But the side effects of infertility and menopause will be permanent.

Radiotherapy is used to kill the cancer cells by x-rays radiations. The radiation can be provided by the radioactive material or it can come from the body. These are placed near or into the tumor.

Some of the side effects are diarrhea, tiredness, nausea. After the treatment, the skin can look sunburned. With in 6 to 12 months, normal skin can reappear in that treated area. Seek the doctor’s advice if any side effects other than these occur.

Hence, chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy are the methods for ovarian cancer treatment.