Ovarian Cancer Treatment

In other words, your ovarian cancer treatment plan will be different from other ovarian cancer patients’ — because you are different from other ovarian cancer patients. Even if you are diagnosed at the same stage and with the same type of cancer as someone else, yours is unique at the molecular level. At Winship, we’ll treat it that way.

Winship clinicians use advanced diagnostic testing, and our expert pathologists analyze the results to understand your particular cancer at every level. This collaborative approach allows our gynecologic cancer experts to develop a plan to effectively treat your cancer with the fewest possible side effects. Once this information is gathered, your team of physicians — including your gynecologic oncologist, pathologist, radiation oncologist, and more — will meet to determine the best course of treatment for your cancer. It’s kind of like getting a second, third and fourth opinion — all at the same time.

Once your personalized ovarian cancer treatment plan is created, your Winship team of experts will discuss it with you and answer all of your questions. Then, treatment can be scheduled right away. Even if you decide to stay closer to home for your treatment, we will work with you and your doctors closely to monitor your care. Our essential goal is to ensure that you get your cancer treated the way it needs to be, wherever that is.

Winship is Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and we pioneer and lead hundreds of clinical trials each year. That means we can offer you access to the latest ovarian cancer treatments you can’t get at other cancer centers. And we make every effort to match as many patients as possible to ongoing research.

At Winship, we have extensive treatment options for your ovarian cancer. Based on your unique physiology and the presentation of your cancer, those treatments may include:

Surgery

Most cases of ovarian cancer involve some type of surgical intervention to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Our surgeons are highly dedicated to performing gynecologic oncology procedures, meaning they are experts in both female anatomy and cancer resection (removal). When it comes to cancer surgery, you want the most experienced physicians taking care of you. The Winship gynecologic oncology surgery team treats more ovarian cancers per year than any other cancer center in Georgia.

Chemotherapy

This treatment involves the use of medication taken orally or injected to attack cancer cells throughout the body. Because most ovarian cancers are diagnosed in later stages after they have already spread, ovarian cancer patients almost always receive some form of chemotherapy. Frequently, multiple drugs are prescribed to increase their efficacy.

Targeted Therapy

This type of drug therapy is different from chemotherapy in that it is more personalized, targeting a cancer’s specific gene mutations. At Winship, we’ve had success treating advanced ovarian cancers with a new class of targeted therapy drugs called poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Moreover, Winship is collaborating in a large-scale clinical trial that monitors patients’ response to targeted therapy. Depending on how their genomic profile changes during treatment, we can match patients whose cancer has mutated with additional therapies.

Immunotherapy

This type of treatment uses drugs to help your body’s immune system recognize cancer cells and enhance its ability to tackle them. At Winship, we are pioneering the use of immunotherapies for many types of cancer and employ all three FDA-approved immunotherapies for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Winship even has a dedicated immunotherapy research program that is advancing the world’s understanding of how our immune system can be harnessed successfully to treat cancers.

We understand a diagnosis of ovarian cancer is especially difficult for women who still wish to conceive. If fertility is a concern of yours, we’ll work closely with reproductive endocrinologists at Emory Reproductive Center to preserve your ability to conceive without long delays in your cancer treatment.

At Winship, we strive to deliver the most effective treatment while also minimizing side effects. But coping with ovarian cancer and the side effects of ovarian cancer treatment can be challenging. That’s why we have a supportive oncology team of specialized doctors and nurses on staff to help you with the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of living with cancer, including symptom management and counseling. This team — with the help of counselors, dietitians, social service professionals and others — will be with you every step of the way, supporting you during your experience and beyond.