Some of the most advanced treatments for ovarian cancer patients?
Numerous treatments are available for ovarian cancer, but targeted therapies are used to target cancer identified and attack cancer cells through the use of specific drugs. Targeted therapies are different from the rest they sift through the normal healthy cells and to attack the inner workings of the cancer cells alone.
Targeted treatment for ovarian cancer
Each type of targeted therapy works differently, but they all change the way the cancer cells grow, work, and divide. The different targeted treatments in ovarian cancer are below.
Bevacizumab (Avastin)
The drug belongs to the category of angiogenesis inhibitors. Bevacizumab shrinks cancer cells, and it appears to work better when given with chemotherapy. Doctors recommend infusion of the drug happens for about 3 – 4 weeks
PARP inhibitors
PARP inhibitors are mostly involved in one pathway to help repair damaged DNA genes. BRCA genes repair of damaged genes but are a different pathway. By blocking the PARP pathways, the drugs used make it very hard for tumor cells with the mutated BRCA gene to repair and grow, which leads to the death of these cells.
Advanced treatments
Options in advanced treatment for ovarian cancer include chemotherapy, biological therapies, hormone therapy, and radiotherapy.
Advanced chemotherapy
Some forms of advanced chemotherapy involve less toxic and more targeted drugs to kill cancer cells. These medicines circulate throughout the body through the bloodstream. Moreover, doctors recommend chemotherapy as an advanced treatment option only for cancers that have come back (recurrent tumors).
Biological therapy
Biological therapies use drugs that can control the growth of cancer cells in the body. The medications used in biological treatment can stop the growth of tumors. Also, they can help women who have BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is an advanced cancer treatment that aims at depriving cancer cells of the hormones they require to thrive. The most frequent hormone is estrogen. Furthermore, hormone therapy for ovarian cancer goes along with chemotherapy.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is suggested by doctors occasionally for women who have advanced ovarian cancer as radiation can shrink tumors and reduce cancer symptoms.