Ovarian cancer treatment

The treatment for ovarian cancer depends on the type of ovarian cancer you have, the stage of the cancer, whether you wish to have children, whether you have a faulty gene, your general health and fitness, and your doctors’ recommendations.

In most cases, surgery is the main treatment. Surgery for ovarian cancer is complex. It is recommended that you have it performed by a gynaecological oncologist at a hospital that does a lot of these operations (high-volume centre).

Learn more about:

• Treatment options by types of ovarian cancer
• Other treatment options
• Making treatment decisions
• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Radiation therapy

Listen to our podcasts on Making Treatment Decisions and Coping with a Cancer Diagnosis

Treatment options by type of ovarian cancer

Epithelial – stage 1

• usually treated with surgery alone
• may be offered chemotherapy after surgery if there is a high risk of the cancer coming back

Epithelial – stage 2, 3 and 4

• usually treated with a combination of surgery and chemotherapy
• new targeted therapy drugs are being offered to people with a BRCA gene fault
• in some cases, radiation therapy is offered

Germ cell

• usually treated with surgery or chemotherapy or both

Stromal cell

• usually treated with surgery, sometimes followed by chemotherapy or targeted therapy

Borderline tumour

• usually treated with surgery only

Other treatment options

Some women with ovarian cancer may feel that they are not given as many options for treatment as there are for other types of cancer. This is because there are only a few treatment plans for ovarian cancer that have been proven to be effective.

Research is continuing into ovarian cancer treatments and, in some cases, you may be able to join a clinical trial to access new treatments.