How effective is chemotherapy for ovarian cancer

Since ovarian cancer spreads very early, surgery cannot remove the lesions in most cases, and the effect and application of radiotherapy are also very limited. Therefore, systemic chemotherapy is an important auxiliary treatment method. Chemotherapy has become one of the main means of treating ovarian malignant tumors, just like surgery and radiotherapy. Especially for patients in the advanced stage, its effect has surpassed radiotherapy, and can prolong the patient's survival or shrink the tumor, creating favorable conditions for another surgery.

There are many kinds of chemotherapy drugs. There are basically two ways of using the drugs. One is continuous use, that is, daily or weekly use; the other is high-dose intermittent use, that is, concentrated administration every day for about 5 days, and then stopped for a period of time to alleviate or eliminate the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs to patients. Some people have observed that even if there are no symptoms and signs of cancer, they can relapse quickly once the drug is stopped. Therefore, it is recommended to use it for a long time if the patient can tolerate it. For some patients who are not effective with single drug treatment, combined medication can be used.

Most of the chemotherapy drugs currently used lack selectivity. They not only have a strong killing effect on tumor cells, but also can cause damage to normal tissues and produce toxic reactions, such as leukopenia or thrombocytopenia, abnormal liver function, oral ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea, and even life-threatening in severe cases. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly master the indications for use and use the drugs only after a clear diagnosis. When taking the drugs, they must be carried out under the close observation of the doctor so that the chemotherapy plan can be modified at any time as appropriate to prevent severe drug toxic reactions and complications.