It's Normal to Feel Afraid Before Ovarian Cancer Surgery
- Surgery for ovarian cancer is serious; the procedure can be intense, and does carry the risk of side effects
- But it’s important to keep in mind that a successful surgery is one of the best tools available for treating ovarian cancer
- Doctors have an obligation to explain all of the possible risks of surgery
After all, the type of surgery that doctors usually perform for ovarian cancer is a really serious procedure, and doctors have a responsibility to warn patients of the potential risks. But surgery is one of the best options for treating ovarian cancer, and a successful surgery can present a major survival benefit.
Read More Dr. Antonio Sancillan-Gomez, a gynecologic oncologist at Texas Oncology in San Antonio, recognizes that it’s tough not to get anxious when you learn what ovarian cancer surgery involves. “I’m going to tell you [the surgery] could be anywhere from two to six to eight hours,” Dr. Santillan-Gomez acknowledges. “That I could provide multiple resections of the intestine … that there’s a risk of having multiple blood transfusions, to spend a week or two in the hospital, to go to the intensive care unit… Nobody wants to hear all that when you’re offering surgery.” But when it comes to ovarian cancer surgery, it can help to keep in mind that your oncologist or surgeon — a doctor who is highly skilled and specifically trained to perform these surgeries — is doing all that he or she can to get rid of your cancer and extend not only your survival, but your quality of life.
Ultimately, Dr. Santillan-Gomez says, successful ovarian cancer surgery is “a combined effort of [the patient] being brave and a surgeon of being committed to trying to achieve those factors that will get her a longer survival.”
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