There are different types of ovarian cancer treatment. Early detection of this disease can lead to the removal of only the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Late detection of this disease, however, may require the removal of the uterus, omentum, lymph nodes, and even part of the large intestine or the appendix. Various types of chemotherapy are often given to patients and can include:
Surgery may be performed on patients with ovarian cancer, before the chemotherapy begins. The surgery can remove only the tumor, or both ovaries, and sometimes other parts of the body, such as lymph nodes. Once the surgery is complete, chemotherapy is usually used to help the body heal from the trauma and make the surgery more successful. Some types of ovarian cancer respond well to certain targeted treatments. These drugs are available as standard of care and in clinical trials.
Although early detection is essential for treatment of ovarian cancer, the cancer can recur even after a successful surgery. Treatment is critical, and the quality of life is greatly affected by the effectiveness of the treatment. While chemotherapy has many side effects, it is considered the gold standard for ovarian cancer treatment. In addition to improving the quality of life of patients, chemotherapy is associated with side effects including neurotoxicity and alopecia.
Advanced stage ovarian cancer is usually caused by out of control protein CD44, which allows cancerous tumors to grow and become resistant to conventional drug therapies. Advanced stage ovarian cancer patients have a five-year survival rate of 30%. To combat this disease, scientists Minko and Rodriguez used small inhibiting RNA molecules that directly target the over-expression of the CD44 protein in cancer cells. The scientists then used paclitaxel to kill cancer cells.
While imaging is often used to detect ovarian cancer, it has little impact on survival. In women with a history of ovarian cancer, high CA-125 levels and symptoms of disease recurrence, imaging is recommended. Moreover, women with early recurrence are often subjected to multiple imaging tests annually. But no study has proven that imaging has any effect on survival. However, it is common to give continuous chemotherapy to patients with early stage ovarian cancer.
CoQ0 can also inhibit ovarian cancer cells’ proliferation. Furthermore, CoQ0 inhibits cytoprotectively autophagy and amplifies intracellular ROS production. These effects make CoQ0 an excellent ovarian cancer treatment. However, it is important to note that CoQ0 is not available for all women. However, the results from these studies suggest that the treatment may not be completely effective.
