The word cancer is enough to bring even the strongest individual to their knees. One way to stay strong is to take control of the situation by being informed. If you are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, or if you are close to someone who has received this diagnosis after an ovarian cancer screening, learning what to anticipate during the treatment process can help you cope. This article will discuss the possible treatment options you can consider together with your doctor, for treating ovarian cancer:

1. Surgery
Female cancers are often treated through a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Surgery for ovarian cancer is the most common of the ovarian cancer treatments. It is called a “local” treatment because it is a way to treat the tumor without disturbing the rest of the body. Surgery is an option for most women who are generally healthy and whose cancer has not spread drastically. Women who are in their childbearing age may not have to have their ovaries and uterus removed if the cancer was caught early on and if the tumor is a particular type.

2. Radiation therapy
When a woman who is diagnosed with cancer through an ovarian cancer screening is found to have cancer that has spread, radiation therapy may be suggested. Radiation utilizes particles in a high energy x-ray to destroy cancer-ridden cells. Radiation tends to be used rarely since aggressive chemotherapy is usually more effective. Thus, when it is used, it is because radiation therapy is useful when cancerous cells have spread to other areas that need to be treated.

3. Chemotherapy
When drugs are used to combat female cancers, they are called systemic therapies. This is because the drugs that are introduced into the body can travel through your system to any area needing ovarian cancer treatments. Subject to the type of cancer, different drug treatments are used and are administered either by directly putting the drug into your bloodstream or orally. Chemotherapy, also called chemo, uses drugs introduced directly into the bloodstream to treat all areas. Chemo is used because it is very effective at removing small amounts of cancer that can be left behind after surgery. It is also used when cancer has spread or to prepare for surgery by shrinking the tumor making it easier to remove. Typically, the drugs used for chemo are administered through an IV or orally. Other cases use a catheter fed into the abdominal cavity.

4. Hormone therapy
This type of therapy uses hormones or hormone-blocking drugs depending on the type of cancer. The theory behind this is that the cancer cells need hormones to grow and the medication deprives them of that. Commonly, a regimen of drugs used will help lower estrogen levels and increase progesterone to help stop the cancerous cells growth.

5. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses drugs to seek out cancerous cells and attack them while doing minimal damage to healthy cells. This therapy attacks the cancerous cells by changing something in their inner working so that they cannot develop, split, heal, or interact with other cells.