Even after a good response to initial treatment, it’s likely that cancer will come back in women whose first diagnosis is advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Generally, the longer the time between the end of initial treatment and the return of the cancer, the better the response will be to further treatment. Many women have a number of relapses with long intervals in between where they don’t require any treatment.
A recurrence of ovarian cancer may be diagnosed after an increase is found in the level of CA125 in the blood or after assessing changes found on physical examination. A woman may also notice symptoms or changes in her general health.
Treatment if ovarian cancer comes back
The most common treatment for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer is more chemotherapy. The type of treatment used depends on how long it’s been between the end of the first treatment and the cancer returning. While the cancer may respond to chemotherapy it’s not likely to cure it.
Palliative care is important for women with advanced ovarian cancer and may be started while the woman is feeling relatively well and receiving other treatments. This includes treatments to help manage pain.
Finding the words – starting a conversation when your cancer has progressed was developed to help women with secondary breast or ovarian cancer talk about how palliative care might help them to live as well as possible when cancer has spread.