Almost all women suffering from ovarian cancer have to undergo a surgery which depends on the stage of the cancer. Hence the ovarian cancer treatment is given according to the stages of the cancer which are as follows:

1. If the cancer is at a very early stage that is on the borderline or low grade then, the only ovarian cancer treatment is the removal of the affected ovary and the fallopian tube. These kinds of cancers don.t come back again. Women might not require further treatment as the cancer does not come back.

If a person has a medium or high- grade cancer, then she might have to undergo a surgery which involves removal of ovaries and womb because the cancer cells might remain if these organs are not removed.

The surgeon might also put a kind of fluid in the abdomen to check for cancer cells. The doctor will take biopsies from the areas from where the cancer is likely to spread. The biopsies of the Lymph nodes located in the pelvis and the abdomen, diaphragm, tissue lining the abdomen and pelvis might be done by the doctor.

Another ovarian cancer treatment is the removal of the .omentum. which is a fatty tissue inside the abdomen. It is normally removed along with the womb as there is a danger of the ovarian cancer spreading to the omentum. Women having a medium or high grade tumor have to undergo chemotherapy but women suffering from low grade or borderline cancer usually need no further treatment.

2. If a woman has a stage 2 and 3 type of ovarian cancer, then the first ovarian cancer treatment is the surgery followed by chemotherapy. During the process of surgery the ovaries, womb, omentum and almost wherever the tumors are located are removed. The surgeon will not leave any area of cancer cells bigger than 0.5 cm. Biopsies of almost all the places is done wherever the cancer cells are likely to spread. The biopsies of the diaphragm (the sheet of muscles under the lungs), the lining of the pelvic and the abdominal cavities and the lymph nodes in the pelvis and the abdomen are done. Once the surgery is over and the patient recovers after the surgery, chemotherapy is given to reduce the chances of the cancer repeating again.

3. The ovarian cancer treatment given to the patients having stage 3 or 4 type of cancer depends on the following:
How far the cancer has spread
The general health of the patient
How quickly the cancer has been growing.

The first ovarian cancer treatment given at this stage is the surgery, so that as much as cancer could be removed. Chemotherapy is normally given before the surgery to shrink the tumors to make the operation easier. After the surgery, again chemotherapy could be given to shrink other tumors if present.

In cases of very advanced cancers, it might not be possible for the surgeon to remove it. Hence first chemotherapy is given to shrink the tumor as much as it is possible and also to slow down the growth. Most of the time radiotherapy is also given to relieve the symptoms, which depends upon the location of the cancer that has spread in the body.

More on the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery all can be used to treat the ovarian cancer. The treatment normally depends on the size and the location of the cancer and the treatment patient already had. A patient might be advised to have chemotherapy first even if she had it earlier. Several chemotherapeutic drugs are used by the doctors to treat for the advanced ovarian cancer treatment.

Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy is used to shrink down tumors and reduce the symptoms. It is used to treat the advanced cancer which has spread to the other part of the body. There is a maximum limit to the total dose of the radiotherapy that can be given to any part of the cancer affected organ. Hence, a patient who already had radiotherapy once, cannot go for it again.

Octreotide: Octreotide is a drug which is given to reduce the symptoms of the blocked bowel.

Surgery: Surgery might be a treatment ovarian cancer when the cancer has spread and advanced. This involves removal of cancer from wherever it has spread in the abdomen which is also called as .debulking., treatment of the cancer that has blocked the bowel and the urinary system.

Ureteric stent: This is put for local anesthetic. Ultrasound or X-Ray is used to put a small plastic tube into the blocked ureter. A cystoscope is put into the bladder which allows the doctor to see the opening of the ureter. With a stent urine can drain from the blocked kidney and the patient continues to pass urine in a normal way after this operation.

Nephrostomy: Nephrostomy is a tube which is put in the blocked kidney. A bag can be stuck or connected to the tube to drain the urine. Although the cancer is not removed, the tube bypasses the blockage by draining the urine outside.