Treatment for ovarian cancer

There are things you can do to help you feel more in control of your health when preparing for treatment. This is called prehabilitation or prehab.

The treatment you have for ovarian cancer depends on the stage of your cancer. You might have one or more treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy or targeted cancer drugs. 

Most women with ovarian cancer have surgery. Find out about the different types and what happens.

Chemotherapy uses anti cancer drugs to destroy cancer. You might have it after surgery, or both before and after. 

Targeted cancer drugs change the way that cells work and help the body control the growth of cancer.

After treatment you usually have follow up appointments to check how you are and see whether you have any problems or worries.

Ovarian cancer can come back after treatment. This is also called relapsed or recurrent cancer. You usually have treatment with chemotherapy.

Treatment that aims to shrink and control cancer and help you feel better is called palliative treatment. Palliative treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy uses high energy waves to kill cancer cells. Doctors don't often use radiotherapy to treat ovarian cancer but you might have it to help with symptoms of advanced cancer.