After surgery for ovarian cancer, a woman will meet with her doctor to discuss recovery and the final pathology. Essentially, you’ll discuss the stage of your tumor (if any is remaining) and what the next steps will be.
“The smaller the amount that remains, the better the prognosis,” says Dr. Luis Vaccarello. Even when very little cancer remains, though, Dr. Vaccarello says that the next step is usually chemotherapy. Fortunately, about 80 percent of ovarian cancer tumors do respond to chemotherapy — which means that they shrink or go away completely with the treatment.
Read More After surgery, the type and dosage of chemotherapy required will depend on a number of factors, including your overall health after surgery and the amount of cancer that remains in your abdominal cavity after surgery. With the most common chemotherapy approach, called “standard-of-care,” Dr. Vaccarello says that most cancers will remain without progression for at least 12-18 months. “Without progression” means that the cancer doesn’t spread or get any worse. The standard chemotherapy treatment is made up of two drugs working in combination, Carboplatin and Paclitaxel. These treatments are typically given to a woman through an IV every three to four weeks, and the number of treatment cycles will vary.
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