In some cases surgeons have to
remove part of the bowel. They will usually only have to do this if the
cancer has spread there and is blocking the bowel. They may have to create an
opening (stoma) on the outside of the abdomen for bowel movements to come out
into a bag. This is called a colostomy. This is often only temporary. The
surgeon can do another smaller operation to close the stoma up again once
everything has settled down from your first operation. Below is a diagram
showing a colostomy with a bag.
After
you have recovered from surgery, you will have chemotherapy. If the surgeon was
able to remove all your cancer, the aim of chemotherapy is to reduce the risk
of the cancer coming back. If the surgeon could not take out all the cancer,
then the aim of chemotherapy is to shrink the cancer that has been left behind.
Some women may then have further surgery.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to
kill cancer cells. Usually chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is given
intravenously (injected into a vein). You may be treated in the doctor’s office
or the outpatient part of a hospital. The drugs travel through the bloodstream to
reach all parts of the body. This is why chemotherapy can be effective in
treating ovarian cancer that has spread beyond the ovaries. However, the same
drugs that kill cancer cells may also damage healthy cells. Chemotherapy is
usually given in cycles. Periods of chemotherapy treatment are alternated with
rest periods when no chemotherapy is given. Most women with ovarian cancer
receive chemotherapy for about 6 months following their surgery.
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