GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS
Ovary
All patients with ovarian cancer undergo surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Most patients are treated with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is used in selected cases when the cancer has responded well to prior treatment, but there is still a high risk of tumor recurrence.
At the University of Florida radiation therapy for ovarian cancer is given in two different ways. Patients with no evidence of cancer after initial surgery and chemotherapy may be treated by infusing a radioactive liquid called P-32 into a part of the abdomen called the peritoneal cavity. P-32 treatment is unusually done in a hospital room. During instillation of P-32, side-effects are usually limited to a feeling of fullness in the abdomen that goes away after a few hours.
Patients who respond well to surgery and chemotherapy, but are not suitable for P-32 treatment, are usually treated with external beam radiation treatments. The whole abdomen is treated with radiotherapy so treatment in this setting is called whole abdomen radiotherapy. The University of Florida has been using an innovative schedule of whole abdomen radiotherapy for many years with good results. Patients come for radiation treatments twice a day, 5 days per week (Monday through Friday), for approximately 5 weeks. Side-effects usually include a feeling of being tired, loss of appetite, and possibly nausea and diarrhea. Medications are used to prevent nausea, and most patients have little difficulty with whole abdomen radiotherapy.
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