Treatment for ovarian cancer involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy, and sometimes, radiation. Chemotherapy may have short-term and long-term side effects, so educate yourself about potential side effects from chemotherapy used to treat ovarian cancer. If you have any concerns, it is best to always discuss them with your doctors, as each person responds to treatment differently.
Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
For ovarian cancer, there are several ways of administering chemotherapy, depending on the situation. Chemotherapy may be given intravenously, through a needle, or it may be given as intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy involves the drugs being given to the patient directly into the abdominal cavity by a thin tube, connected to a port.
Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy, as described above, allows the most concentrated dose possible to be given to the cancer cells. Side effects may be more noticeable with this type of chemotherapy than the traditional intravenous route, including abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Some women receiving intraperitoneal chemotherapy stopped their treatments early because of the severity of the side effects. For women with advanced ovarian cancer, women receiving this kind of therapy lived longer than those receiving the intravenous chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy Drugs for Ovarian Cancer
The standard chemotherapy regimen for ovarian cancer is commonly a platinum-based drug with a taxane. This is usually carboplatin (brand name Paraplatin) and paclitaxel (brand name Taxol). If the cancer is not responsive to this treatment, the use of a different drug is being explored, called bevacizumab (brand name Avastin) (mayoclinic.com). Avastin interferes with the blood supply to the tumor, which prevents the tumor from getting nourishment, and possibly shrinks (mayoclinic.com).
Possible Side Effects
Chemotherapy as a whole often has several common side effects, regardless of the drug. It affects the immune system, often weakening it, which is why it is so important for people receiving chemotherapy to take care of their health and take proper precautions to reduce the risk of infection. Low blood counts, especially platelets and white cells, are also common side effects. Not all chemotherapeutic drugs cause nausea and vomiting.
Carboplatin commonly causes low blood counts, fatigue, hair loss, and nausea. Less common side effects of this drug include diarrhea, abdominal pain, mouth sores and peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is a significant loss of sensation in the extremities, like tingling or numbness.
Common side effects of paclitaxel include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, peripheral neuropathy, mouth sores, and low blood count. Some less common side effects from the drug are low blood pressure and discoloration of the nail or nail beds.
If you experience any side effects that are severe, or are concerned about any reactions or possible interactions, it is best that you speak with your doctor before you start any treatment.
Long-Term Effects
Long-term side effects may vary with each drug, and also the individual person. Not everyone gets side effects; short-term or long-term. If you have any concerns about possible long-term effects, it is best to discuss these with your doctor. Some long-term side effects that may occur include nerve damage (such as ringing in the ears, impaired memory, and hearing loss), secondary cancers, and blood in the urine (cancer.org). It is important to keep track of your treatments and any side effects that occur, both during active treatment and during follow-up, so you can share this with your health care provider.
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