The first step in the management of ovarian cancer is surgery.
If the diagnosis of ovarian cancer is made during surgery, the
most important goal is to remove all visible tumor disease. This
usually requires a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of
the ovaries and fallopian tubes), a hysterectomy (removal of the
uterus and cervix), removal of lymph nodes in the pelvis and
abdomen and removal of the omentum (fat pad that is attached to
the large bowel and may contain tumor cells). In some patients,
a bowel resection is necessary to remove all the disease or an
obstruction. In addition, the surgeon might decide to place a
plastic tube into the abdomen for the infusion of chemotherapy
following surgery. It is very important that this surgery is
done by a gynecologic oncologist who is experienced in the
treatment of ovarian cancer. Special consideration should be
given to women that are young and desire preservation of
fertility. In these cases, the surgeon may decide to remove only
one ovary and fallopian t