Ovarialkarzinom: Diagnostik und Primärtherapie

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in women in Germany. The main prognostic factors are the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis as well as the quality of therapy. In early ovarian cancer meticulous staging of the entire abdominal cavity in addition to resection of the primary tumor and all visible tumor manifestations are required. In patients with early ovarian cancer International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I-IIA, with the exception of FIGO stage IA, platinum-based chemotherapy is indicated. In cases of advanced ovarian cancer the patient prognosis is essentially determined by the extent of tumor mass reduction at the time of primary surgery. Patients with complete tumor resection have a significantly longer survival time compared to patients with residual tumor mass at the end of surgical treatment (median 5 years). Following surgery a combination of carboplatin with paclitaxel is the standard chemotherapeutic regimen. In FIGO stage IIIB-IV addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy is an option.