Dr. Cohen on the Evolution of Surgery in Ovarian Cancer

Joshua G. Cohen, MD, assistant professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the evolution of surgery in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.

If a woman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 20 years ago, the standard of care at any age would have been to remove the uterus, the fallopian tubes, and the ovaries—essentially putting a woman into surgical menopause, says Cohen. Physicians now know that that is not necessary.

For women who have disease that is confined to 1 ovary or 1 fallopian tube, surgeons can oftentimes only remove the diseased or affected area and use a biopsy to check the lymph nodes and other ovary if it looks concerning. Surgeons do their best to leave those structures in place if a patient is young and it makes sense based on the spread of disease and histologic grade.

This has enabled surgeons to move away from a 1 treatment fits all approach to a more tailored approach based on age and reproductive wishes, states Cohen.