Treatment of ovarian cancer in Germany

Treatment of ovarian cancer in Germany

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages and spreads rapidly throughout the peritoneum. This cancer is difficult to treat, but it is quite possible if you receive medical care in one of the developed countries in the world. The main thing is to completely remove the tumor and all metastases. Then you can count on a long-term remission or a complete recovery from cancer. You can undergo your treatment of ovarian cancer in Germany to expect the best results.

Treatment options

Ovaries may be affected by many types of tumors, and they are treated in different ways. Tumors can be epithelial, germ cell, or stromal. Only epithelial neoplasms are considered cancer. Even among them, there are different histological types, which are classified as low, intermediate, or high grade.

The choice of tactics for ovarian cancer treatment depends on the stage of the disease and the aggressiveness of the tumor.

At stage 1, if the tumor is not aggressive, doctors may use only a surgical procedure to remove the ovary and fallopian tube on the side of the lesion. This saves the uterus with its appendages on the other side. Such an operation does not significantly affect the quality of life and allows women to preserve their fertility.

Some women require chemotherapy after an early-stage tumor is removed.

Much more often than not, neoplasms are detected at stage 2 and even more advanced stages. In this case, surgical interventions to remove the cancer are considered cytoreductive. They include the removal of the uterus with its appendages, the omentum, sometimes also the appendix, as well as all the visible tumor foci. Cytoreductive surgery can be performed only with the use of open techniques, as laparoscopy is not suitable for this operation.

Even in the advanced stages, doctors perform surgery to reduce the size of the tumor. They strive to remove as much tumor tissue as possible so as to create good conditions for postoperative pharmacotherapy.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy

Patient survival rates after surgery depend on how successful the operation was. If a doctor has managed to remove all tumor foci, cytoreduction is considered complete. It is considered optimal if all neoplasms larger than 1 cm have been removed. The last option is also not so bad, although the survival rates are somewhat worse.

German doctors have found a way to improve the results of surgical treatment of ovarian cancer, even at its advanced stage. The best clinics in Germany use hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Immediately after removing all the tumors, doctors rinse the abdominal cavity with a heated solution of cytostatics. The drugs penetrate the tissues to a depth of several millimeters, thereby destroying the remaining cancer cells. Perfusion is performed once and lasts about an hour and a half.

Pharmacotherapy

Most women with ovarian cancer have chemotherapy after surgery. 

A surgical procedure is performed even at stage 4 cancer whenever possible. However, sometimes this is not possible due to the spread of metastases to the bones, lungs, liver, etc. Even in such situations, cancer can be controlled for a long time if modern medications are used.

Chemotherapy is considered the main and most effective method of drug treatment for ovarian cancer. Depending on the stage of cancer and previous treatment, 3 to 6 cycles of chemotherapy are initially prescribed. Later on, it can be used on a maintenance regimen.

Chemotherapy often shrinks tumors enough that a doctor decides to perform cytoreductive surgery.

When dealing with stromal, and sometimes also epithelial, neoplasms, hormone therapy helps to control cancer. Doctors use GnRH agonists to cause an artificial menopause. Antiestrogens or aromatase inhibitors may also be used.

In the advanced stages, doctors also use targeted therapies such as angiogenesis inhibitors and PARP inhibitors, which work well in patients with a BRCA gene mutation. A small number of women may also receive therapy with NTRK inhibitors.

You are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to undergo your ovarian cancer diagnostics and treatment abroad. On our website, you can find the cost of treatment in different clinics and choose a medical care program at the best prices.