Management of Ovarian Cancer
The current standard of care for ovarian cancer is surgery to remove the cancerous tissue “cytoreductive“ with complete surgical “staging“ or classification.
The rationale for surgical staging is:
- Define the extent of the disease
- Determine the need for secondary “adjuvant“ treatment
- Provide prognosis
- Enable eligibility for clinical trials
Studies show that when these surgeries are completed by a doctor who specializes in cancer of the reproductive organs, called a gynecologic oncologist, patients have better outcomes compared with those treated by a gynecologist or general surgeon.3,9
Read more about the benefits of treatment by a gynecologic oncologist.
Staging cancer is important because identifying how far the disease has progressed helps to ensure the right treatment path is chosen. There are 4 main stages of ovarian cancer:
Stage I—Cancer is limited to one or both ovaries.
Stage II —Cancer has extended beyond the ovaries to other areas of the pelvis (uterus, fallopian tubes, bladder, or rectum).
Stage III—Cancer has spread beyond the ovaries and pelvis to the lining of the abdomen and/or lymph nodes.
Stage IV—Cancer has spread to the liver, lungs, and/or the fluid around the lungs.
Depending on the stage and type of ovarian cancer, additional treatment in the form of chemotherapy is usually advised. Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. These drugs travel in the bloodstream and are transported to areas of the body where cancer may have spread. It is given on average for 6 months, after which time careful follow-up is necessary.
The CA 125™ test has been considered the gold standard in the management of ovarian cancer for many years,and its use helps physicians to more effectively manage patients with this disease in conjunction with standard clinical procedures. CA125 helps physicians to determine how women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are responding to chemotherapy. It is also used to identify recurrence of the disease.
Physician guidelines recommend monitoring and follow up with CA125 at each visit if a patient had elevated CA 125 levels during chemotherapy and after treatment. The CA125 value is used to indicate how the patient is responding to therapy and whether the disease is progressing.
