What to Know if You’re Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer

If you’re diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you likely feel overwhelmed with emotions and concerns. First and foremost, you want to hear from cancer experts: What’s the best treatment for me? What does this diagnosis mean for my future?

“It’s important to realize that your cancer diagnosis is unique,” said Luis Rojas, MD, gynecologic oncologist with Avera Medical Group Gynecologic Oncology at Avera Cancer Institute in Sioux Falls.

Search out the experts who can give you the specifics of your diagnosis, and help you understand evidence-based standard treatment as well as clinical trials you might qualify for.

“Our goal is to give our patients as many options as possible. If you don’t feel you have options, you may not be in the right place,” said David Starks, MD, MPH, Avera Medical Group gynecologic oncologist.

You might benefit from genetic testing to learn if you have genetic mutations that contribute to ovarian cancer, like BRCA 1 and 2. You might benefit from genomic testing that helps oncologists determine how to target your cancer with the best possible treatment plan.

Starks and Rojas answer some common questions asked by cancer patients:

Will I have to travel far from home for the best care?

Patients may believe they would have to travel to a nationally known cancer center for leading-edge care, yet we offer it within the Avera system. Before joining Avera, both of us trained at Cleveland Clinic, a top-rated cancer center. We have 30 years combined experience treating female reproductive cancers like cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer.

Unlike other cancer specialists, gynecologic oncologists provide all aspects of cancer care including surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and clinical trials – through one clinic, right in Sioux Falls. Patients who come here get a well-rounded vision of their disease. They are not going to one doctor for surgery and another for chemotherapy.

We also offer consults via telemedicine to patients can get their chemotherapy as close to home as possible, at locations including Aberdeen, Mitchell, Pierre and Yankton, S.D., and Marshall, Minn.

Avera offers second opinions to help patients understand their care options that may be closest to home and near the support of family and friends.

Will I have surgery right away?

Surgery is an important part of the treatment plan for women with ovarian cancer and it may be scheduled right away. Your doctor will recommend the best procedure for your specific case.

• When possible, we use minimally invasive techniques, which may include robotics or laparoscopy.
• Sometimes, chemotherapy is recommended first to shrink the tumor before surgery, making it more operable with the hope of less risk and better outcome.
• Through surgery we discover the stage of the cancer and remove all or as much as we’re able to remove.
• Then chemotherapy targets remaining cancer cells.
• Most patients with ovarian cancer do not have radiation therapy, although it may be an option in select cases.

Some form of chemotherapy is recommended for most patients with ovarian cancer, rather than surgery alone. One key reason is that only 20% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed early. Unfortunately, there is no overall screening tool for this type of cancer. Symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain or constipation might be attributed to less serious conditions.

What’s the hope for remission or cure?

In the past five years, we’ve made significant improvement in treatment – particularly in the area of maintenance therapy.

Some 80% of patients experience a complete response to first-line treatment, such as surgery followed by chemotherapy. Then we look to maintenance therapies to keep the cancer at bay, and these are often successful.

Also read:

• When to Consider a Clinical Trial if You Have Ovarian Cancer
• If You Have Ovarian Cancer, Will You Benefit from Genetic Testing and Genomic Sequencing?
• Who's Who on Your Cancer Care Team