My ovarian cancer has come back
Many women find the news that ovarian cancer has returned harder to deal with than their original diagnosis. You may feel upset, angry or depressed. Every woman is different so there is no right or wrong way to react.
If you feel you would like to talk to someone about your ovarian cancer recurrence, Macmillan Cancer Care has an anonymous support line for advice and emotional support: 0808 808 0000. You can also find useful resources on the website.
Although every woman’s experience is very different, you may find it useful to read about other women’s experiences on our blog.
Treatment
Your oncologist will discuss a treatment plan that is right for you. If your cancer returns more than six months after completing your chemotherapy it will be classified as “platinum sensitive”. This means it can be treated with platinum based chemotherapy such as cisplatin or carboplatin. This may be the same as the treatment you had originally.
Recurrence within six months of original treatment will be classified as “platinum resistant”. This means the cancer has become resistant to your initial treatment. It’s important to remember that there are other options available and your clinical oncology team will discuss the best way to treat you. This could include entering a clinical trial, should there be a suitable one available.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are used to:- Test new treatments, such as new chemotherapy drugs or biological therapies
- Look at new combinations of existing treatments, or change the way they are given, to make them more effective or reduce side effects
- Compare the effectiveness of drugs used to control symptoms
- Find out how cancer treatments work
- Find out which treatments are the most cost-effective
- To find out what is the best type of surgery
- To use new medical devices to control ovarian cancer
For more information about clinical trials download our treating ovarian cancer booklet.
