Preparing for Ovarian Cancer Surgery
- Most ovarian cancer surgery takes between three to five hours
- The duration and how extensive the surgery is depends on how many cancer cells need to be removed
- Because a large incision is made in the abdomen, a lot of women will experience pain after the procedure — though there are medications that can help to alleviate this
“It depends on how much tumor burden is present at the time of the procedure,” Dr. Jeanne Schilder, a professor of obstetrics & gynecology at Indiana University Medical Center, told SurvivorNet. “In some cases, this is a fairly straightforward operation. In other cases, it requires much more extensive surgery in order to remove that tumor and remove as many cells as possible to have the best outcome.”
Read More The surgery typically involves a large incision on the abdomen, Dr. Schilder said. Since many women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer at later stages, things like a less invasive robotic surgery are not always an option. A laparotomy — where a vertical incision is made on the abdomen — is the most common procedure for this type of surgery. Because the incision is large, patients might experience some severe pain after they wake up from the operation — but there are ways to manage this with medication given both before and after the procedure, Dr. Schilder said.
How to Prep
To prepare for surgery, women should be hydrated and avoid eating starting at midnight on the night before the surgery, Dr. Schilder explained.Doctors also recommend things like Gatorade after the operation to maintain hydration. Most woman are able to get up and walk around shortly after the operation — and should be able to go home from the hospital a day or two later, Dr. Schilder said.
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