The most common treatments for ovarian cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. But for some people, other treatments like radiation, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy might be used. These treatments can help when ovarian cancer doesn’t respond to the usual options or when certain types of cancer need them. Learning about these choices can help you and your healthcare team find the best treatment plan for you.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses your body’s immune system to fight cancer. Normally, the immune system helps protect the body from germs and diseases. With immunotherapy, doctors assist the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells, including those in ovarian cancer.
What types of immunotherapy are used for ovarian cancer?
There are different kinds of immunotherapy. One common type is immune checkpoint inhibitors, which block certain proteins in cancer or immune cells that would usually prevent the immune system from attacking the cancer. By blocking these proteins, the immune system can more effectively find and destroy cancer cells. An example of immunotherapy is pembrolizumab (Keytruda).
An example of immunotherapy is Pembrolizumab (Keytruda). It works by targeting PD-1, a protein on T cells, preventing them from attacking healthy cells. By blocking PD-1, the drug enables the immune system to better fight cancer cells, potentially shrinking tumors or slowing their growth.
- Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) works by targeting PD-1, a protein on certain immune cells called T cells. Normally, this protein helps stop T cells from attacking healthy cells in the body. By blocking PD-1, the drug helps the immune system fight cancer cells better. This can make some tumors smaller or slow down their growth.Pembrolizumab can be used in people with certain types of advanced ovarian cancer who have high levels of MSI (a kind of genetic change) or changes in the MMR genes whose cancer starts growing after chemotherapy or other drug treatments.This immunotherapy drug is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion every three weeks.
Immunotherapy isn’t used as often for ovarian cancer as it is for some other cancers like melanoma or lung cancer. Researchers are still studying how well it works for ovarian cancer, and it might be offered in clinical trials.
Visit ACS to learn more about immunotherapy used to treat ovarian cancer.
Side effects of immunotherapy
Immunotherapy can cause side effects such as:
- Fatigue
- Rashes
- Flu-like symptoms
In some cases, it may cause the immune system to attack healthy cells, leading to more serious complications. It’s important to discuss with your doctor whether immunotherapy is a good option for your ovarian cancer type and what you can expect during treatment. Immunotherapy drugs have their unique side effects, so make sure to talk to your medical team.
Informative Video - How is immunotherapy used to treat ovarian cancer?
Sarah Taylor, MD, women’s health expert and cancer expert from the University of Pittsburgh, explains how immunotherapy works to treat cancer, including ovarian cancer. She also discusses the cancer “vaccine” that activates the immune system against cancer cells.
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is the use of hormones or hormone-blocking drugs to treat cancer. It aims to slow or stop the growth of cancers that use hormones to grow. For ovarian cancer, hormone therapy is most often used in cancers that are sensitive to hormones like estrogen or progesterone. These hormones can help some cancer cells grow, so by reducing or blocking them, hormone therapy can slow the cancer’s growth. This type of treatment is rarely used to treat epithelial ovarian cancer but is more often used to treat ovarian stromal tumors.
What types of hormone therapy are used for ovarian cancer?
One common type of hormone therapy for ovarian cancer involves drugs that block estrogen in the body. These drugs, like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, are usually taken as pills. They work by either lowering the amount of estrogen or by preventing the hormone from attaching to cancer cells. Without estrogen to help them grow, the cancer cells may stop growing or die.
Examples of hormone therapy are Tamoxifen (anti-estrogen), Aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole (Arimidex®), and LHRH agonists such as goserelin (Zoladex®). Visit ACS to learn more about different hormone therapy drugs used to treat ovarian cancer.
For those diagnosed with low-grade serous or endometrioid types, hormonal therapy — aromatase inhibitors like letrozole (Femara) or luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists like leuprolide acetate (Lupron) or goserelin acetate (Zoladex) — may be an option.
Side effects of hormone therapy
Like all treatments, hormone therapy can have side effects, so it’s important to talk to your doctor to see if it’s the right choice for you. Common side effects of hormone therapy include:
- Bone thinning
- Hot flashes
- Joint and muscle pain
- Vaginal dryness
Informative Video - How is hormone therapy used to treat ovarian cancer?
Nita Lee, MD, MPH, explains how hormone therapy, also called endocrine therapy, affects the hormone receptors on your cells to help fight ovarian cancer. She also explains how biopsy and surgery results can show whether hormone therapy should be a part of treatment and why hormone therapy may be easier to tolerate than traditional chemotherapy.
Radiation therapy
Radiation isn’t often used to treat ovarian cancer. In the U.S., aggressive chemotherapy is usually more effective. However, it can still be helpful in certain situations. Radiation therapy is usually used to treat specific areas of the body where cancer has spread or to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer, like pain or bleeding.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays or particles to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. The procedure is similar to having a regular X-ray done.
What types of radiation therapy are used for ovarian cancer?
There are two main types of radiation therapy: external and internal.
External beam radiation
The most common type of radiation therapy for ovarian cancer is external beam radiation therapy. External radiation comes from a machine outside the body that aims the rays at the cancer. Treatments are usually given five days a week for several weeks, with each radiation session lasting only a few minutes.
Internal radiation therapy
Internal radiation, also called brachytherapy, involves placing a small radioactive source directly inside the body near the cancer. For ovarian cancer, external radiation is the most common type used.
Side effects of radiation therapy
Radiation therapy can have side effects because it affects both cancer cells and some nearby healthy cells. These side effects depend on the area being treated and may include skin changes, tiredness, or upset stomach. While radiation therapy might not be the first treatment option for ovarian cancer, it can still be an important part of managing the disease in certain cases. Your doctor will help you understand if radiation therapy is a good choice for your situation. Some common side effects include:
- Skin changes – the skin in the treated area may look and feel sunburned or even blister and peel
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Vaginal irritation, sometimes with a discharge (if the pelvis is being treated)
These side effects improve after treatment is stopped. Skin changes gradually fade, and the skin returns to normal in 6 to 12 months.
Informative Video - How is radiation therapy used to treat ovarian cancer?
Women’s health and cancer expert Nita Lee, MD, MPH, of the University of Chicago, explains how and when radiation therapy can help treat ovarian cancer and how working with a radiation oncologist is important. She also talks about the role of radiation therapy in reducing pain or treating ovarian cancer that comes back after treatment.
Ovarian cancer treatment resources
To find more information about ovarian cancer treatment and side effects, visit these helpful resources:
Medically reviewed and updated | August, 2024
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