Peer Reviewed
Feature Article Women’s health

Ovarian cancer: where are we now?

Chris Dalrymple
Abstract
Ovarian cancer has a well deserved reputation as a disease with high morbidity and poor survival. Survival is improved by diagnosis at the earliest time, skilled staging and surgery, and individualised chemotherapy.
Key Points
  • Ovarian carcinoma is uncommon but is associated with poor survival.
  • The majority of patients present with advanced disease, many having had nonspecific symptoms for some time.
  • Primary treatment is usually surgery followed by chemotherapy.
  • Certain tumours can now be treated with conservative surgery or chemotherapy alone in some instances, so preserving the reproductive potential of younger patients.
  • Success in treating ovarian cancer depends on diagnosis at the earliest time, appropriate staging and surgery by skilled specialists, and the tumour’s responsiveness to chemotherapy.
  • The best survival figures are achieved when the primary management is by a multidisciplinary team at a recognised gynaecological oncology centre.
  • While screening tests are available, their accuracy is poor and they are not cost effective.
Get full access
Subscribe for full access to all articles
Buy this article

Single article purchases are temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance.

If you would like to purchase an article during this time, please email us at [email protected] with the article details and we'll assist you directly. We'll also let you know when online purchasing is available again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Already a subscriber?