questions about ovarian cancer?

Question

in what stage during ovary cancer should the patient's ovaries be taken out? after they're taken out, is there still any risk of death?

thanks :)

oh, yah, i forgot, can the patient have any children after surgery? thanks again :)

Answer 1

Surgery should be done immediately during the Stage 1A and 1B.


The surgery can include a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), bilateral salpingectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes), bilateral oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries) and an omentectomy (removal of part of the omentum, which is fatty tissue from the upper part of the abdominal cavity near the stomach and intestines). Pelvic and paraaortic lymph nodes may be sampled. The lining surfaces of the pelvic and abdominal cavities may be biopsied and sent to the laboratory for microscopic examination. This is done to find out if the cancer has spread. If the laboratory results indicate a grade 1 or grade 2 cancer (meaning the cancer has some similarities to normal glandular tissue) surgery alone may be enough.

Even if the cancer has not spread, if it turns out to be grade 2 or 3, chemotherapy may be recommended -- especially if it is grade 3. The chemotherapy will usually be carboplatin and paclitaxel. Some doctors think that carboplatin alone is not as good as the 2 drugs combined. Three to 6 courses of treatment will be given.

There's a book written by Gilda Radner. She was a comedian who was a regular in Saturday Night Live. She contracted ovarian cancer even though her ovaries were already taken out. Because metastasis is a likelihood via the lympathic system; early detection and a course of chemotherapy is impt. Chemotherapy will at least lessen the risks of the its metastasis or reoccurrence.. It would dramatically increase the chances for the cancer to go into remission. As a matter of fact; this is also true of breast cancer which is the no.. 1 killer among women.


Recently, I was made aware that there's a blood test now known as Ca-125(similar to PSA analysis for prostrate cancer in men). This blood test can detect for any cancer cells. for any adjacent organs such as the fallopian tubes, the cervix or the uterine wall. Her book also stressed this test..

In conclusion, surgery alone for ovarian cancer is not sufficient for a better prognosis of this teriible and fatal disease. Intensive chemotherapy is required to eradicate any possible floating cancer cells.