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Ovarian cancer can be treated and cured, but the effectiveness of a cure for ovarian cancer depends on many variables, including the type of ovarian cancer, the stage it has reached in the patient, the patient’s medical history and general health outside of the cancer, and the type of treatment administered. In the most positive of circumstances, survival rates can be as high as 92%.
Treatments for ovarian cancer can be either local or systemic.
LOCAL TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER
Local treatments involve surgery and radiation therapy that target only the tumor, not other areas of the body.
SURGERY FOR EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER
Typically, surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer is oriented toward either debulking or staging. Staging the disease is fundamental to treating it and, therefore, eventually curing it. The purpose of debunking is to remove any and all tumors greater than one-half inch. At this point, the cancer is considered “optimally debulked.” The prognosis for a case of optimally debulked cancer is much better than one which has not been debulked.
RADIATION THERAPY FOR OVARIAN CANCER
Working much like an x-ray, external beam radiation therapy focuses a high-energy radiation beam on the cancerous area where the energy kills the cancer cells.
On the other hand, internal radiation treatment, called brachytherapy, directs radiation from the interior of the body using tiny, radioactive pellets placed near the tumor. This technique is not commonly used for ovarian cancer.
SYSTEMIC THERAPY FOR EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER
Sometimes a patient may undergo systemic therapies that involve administering drugs to access cancer cells wherever they might exist in the body. Systemic treatments used for ovarian cancer include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy.
CHEMOTHERAPY
When drugs are used to kill cancer cells, they are often used in combination with other drugs. Typically, chemo drugs are injected or administered orally. In other cases, they may be given through a catheter. Chemo is commonly used after surgery to kill off leftover cancer cells, to kill those that have metastasized, or to help make large tumors smaller for the sake of surgery.
HORMONE THERAPY
Not commonly used in treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer, this therapy administers hormone-blocking drugs to address the cancer.
TARGETED THERAPY
This type of treatment works against the cancer cells’ unique “programming” that sets them apart from healthy cells. By fighting how the cancer cells work, the targeted therapy drugs can affect the way a cancer cell grows, repairs, and interacts with other cells in the body.
TREATMENT PLANS FOR EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER
Treatment methodologies are often combined in a way that accounts for what type of ovarian cancer the patient is experiencing, as well as the stage of the cancer, and other circumstances unique to the patient.
FIVE-YEAR RELATIVE SURVIVAL RATES
The American Cancer Society uses a “5-year relative rate” to depict survival rates for various forms and stages of cancer. When data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicates an 80 percent 5-year relative survival rate, it means that patients who have a certain type and stage of ovarian cancer are around 80-percent as likely to survive five years following diagnosis as individuals who do not suffer from the specified cancer.
5-YEAR RELATIVE SURVIVAL RATES FOR INVASIVE EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER
- 92%: Localized stages (cancer has not spread beyond the ovaries)
- 75%: Regional stages (cancer has spread to structures near the ovaries and/or lymph nodes)
- 30%: Distant stages (cancer has spread to remote areas of the body, like lungs or liver)
Overall, when all the stages of epithelial ovarian cancer are combined, the 5-year relative survival rate is 47%.
ZANES LAW WILL FIGHT FOR COMPENSATION FOR YOUR TALC-CAUSED OVARIAN CANCER
If you developed ovarian cancer after regular use of talcum powder, you may be able to receive compensation to cover your medical costs, lost income, and other damages to help handle medical payments while you pursue a cure for ovarian cancer. Zanes Law will do everything from A to Z as your legal counsel in this lawsuit. Call (833) 214-0917 for a free case review and consultation.