What are the treatment options for metastatic ovarian cancer?

Medical Advisory BoardAll articles are reviewed for accuracy by our Medical Advisory Board
Educational purpose only • Exercise caution as content is pending human review
Article Review Status
Submitted
Under Review
Approved

Last updated: February 12, 2025View editorial policy

Personalize

Help us tailor your experience

Which best describes you? Your choice helps us use language that's most understandable for you.

From the Guidelines

Treatment options for metastatic ovarian cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and maintenance therapy.

Treatment Options

  • Surgery: Primary debulking surgery (PDS) is recommended for advanced-stage disease if the patient is a surgical candidate, optimal cytoreduction appears feasible, and fertility is not a concern 1.
  • Chemotherapy: Combination platinum-based chemotherapy is recommended for most patients, with options including carboplatin and paclitaxel 1.
  • Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NACT): NACT with interval debulking surgery (IDS) should be considered for patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer who are not good candidates for PDS due to advanced age, frailty, poor performance status, comorbidities, or disease that is unlikely to be optimally cytoreduced 1.
  • Maintenance Therapy: Options for maintenance therapy after completion of primary therapy include PARP inhibitors and bevacizumab in select patients 1.

Specific Chemotherapy Regimens

  • Intravenous Chemotherapy: Carboplatin AUC 5-7 mg/ml/min and paclitaxel 175 mg/m2/3 h every 3 weeks for six cycles is a recommended standard chemotherapy regimen for advanced ovarian carcinoma 1.
  • Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy: IP chemotherapy is recommended for selected stage III patients with optimally debulked disease, and may be considered an option for selected patients in centers where the expertise exists 1.

From the Research

Treatment Options for Metastatic Ovarian Cancer

The treatment options for metastatic ovarian cancer include:

  • Debulking surgery whenever possible and appropriate systemic therapy (chemotherapy, targeted and antiangiogenic agents) 2
  • Targeted agents, such as poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, which offer more options for sequential or combined treatments 3, 4
  • Immunotherapies, which have been approved over the last few years for the treatment of ovarian cancer 4
  • Antiangiogenics, which have been shown to be effective in the treatment of ovarian cancer 4
  • Intraperitoneal administration of β-glucan and IFNγ (BI), which has been shown to induce robust tumor regression in clinically relevant models of metastatic ovarian cancer 5

Systemic Therapy

Systemic therapy for metastatic ovarian cancer typically involves:

  • Chemotherapy with platinums, taxanes, doxorubicin, topotecan, and gemcitabine 4
  • Targeted therapies, such as PARP inhibitors, which have been shown to be effective in the treatment of ovarian cancer 3, 4
  • Immunotherapies, which have been approved over the last few years for the treatment of ovarian cancer 4

Evolutionarily Designed Therapies

Evolutionarily designed therapies for metastatic ovarian cancer consider:

  • Cancer cell plasticity and patient-specific characteristics to improve clinical outcome and prevent relapse 3
  • The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of the disease, including the complex tumour microenvironment and the heterogeneous populations of cancer cells 3

References

Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

Research

Treatment algorithm in patients with ovarian cancer.

Facts, views & vision in ObGyn, 2020

Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.

Have a follow-up question?

Our Medical A.I. is used by practicing medical doctors at top research institutions around the world. Ask any follow up question and get world-class guideline-backed answers instantly.