-CancerSmart Lectures: Cancer Pain, Cancer
and Intimacy
-HBO Cancer Special
Younger women who have cancer
of the ovaries often worry about losing the ability to have children. And in
many cases of ovarian cancer, surgical removal of both ovaries is
an unavoidable part of effective treatment. But according to a recent
study by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center physicians there is another
safe option, at least for women with early-stage ovarian cancer.
The
study involved 127 patients who had surgery to treat epithelial ovarian
cancer diagnosed at stage 1. Stage 1 means that cancer was found in only
the ovaries, and has not spread to any other organs. About 25 percent of
ovarian cancers are diagnosed at stage 1. This is the largest group of
such patients ever reported treated at a single institution.
In the
study, 92 patients underwent standard surgical treatment, in which the uterus
and all functioning ovarian tissue are removed. Sixteen of the patients had
more limited surgery in which the uterus and at least one ovary
were left intact.
Of the patients who had the more aggressive
treatment, 71 patients, or 77 percent, lived for a median of seven
years with no further sign of disease after their initial diagnosis.
Fourteen of the 16 patients who underwent the more limited surgery, 88
percent, likewise lived with no signs of disease for a median of seven
years. And 93 percent of the patients who underwent the more limited
surgery had a successful pregnancy or resumed normal menstrual
function after treatment.
"By using conservative surgery that
preserves functioning ovarian tissue and the uterus, we found survival
rates comparable to the standard surgery," said Dr. Carol
Brown of MSKCC's Gynecology Service, who was lead author of
the study. "That is very reassuring news for young women
with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer."
Dr. Brown will be our
guest for "Ovarian Cancer: The Importance of Early Diagnosis and Accurate
Staging," a CancerSmart live chat event on March 21, 2000 at 8:00
p.m. Eastern Time. You will be able to submit questions during the chat
session.
