Doctors will consider the stage and grade of epithelial ovarian cancer to decide whether further treatment is needed after surgery. Further treatment may involve chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or more surgery.Surgery for ovarian cancer aims to remove all signs of the cancer but sometimes this isn’t possible. The amount of cancer remaining at the end of surgery is called residual disease. If there’s residual disease the surgeon will suggest what can be done to treat it.
Further surgery may be needed depending on how the cancer responds to initial treatment. In some cases, secondary cytoreduction (more surgery) might be done if the cancer comes back some years after the initial treatment.
Will further treatment be needed?
