Ovarian Cancer

Reference Chemotherapy Opens New Window is used to shrink ovarian cancer and slow cancer growth. Chemotherapy is recommended for most women after the initial surgery for ovarian cancer. But sometimes chemotherapy is given to shrink the cancer before surgery. The number of cycles of treatment will depend on the stage of your disease.

Chemotherapy medicines for ovarian cancer may be taken by mouth, injected into a vein (IV), or given through a thin tube into the body (intraperitoneal, or IP). Sometimes treatments may be combined to give women both IV and IP chemotherapy.

Medication choices

Some of the chemotherapy medicines used for ovarian cancer include:

• Reference Carboplatin.
• Reference Cisplatin.
• Reference Paclitaxel.
• Reference Docetaxel.

Other medicines that may be used include:

• Reference Cyclophosphamide.
• Reference Doxorubicin.
• Reference Gemcitabine.
• Reference Topotecan.
• Reference Oxaliplatin.

Treatment of ovarian cancer with chemotherapy can cause nausea and vomiting. To help relieve nausea, your doctor will prescribe Reference medicines you can take with your treatments and when you get home.

What to think about

Having both IV and IP chemotherapy often causes more serious side effects than having only IV or IP treatment. Side effects include belly pain, Reference nerve pain (neuropathy) Opens New Window, and kidney or liver problems. Your medical team will watch you closely. If your doctor has given you instructions or medicines to treat your symptoms, be sure to follow them.

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