Dr. Venkat on Treatment Considerations in Ovarian Cancer

Puja S. Venkat, MD, radiation oncologist, UCLA Health, discusses treatment considerations for patients with ovarian cancer.

There are benefits and risks associated with many available therapies for this patient population, all of which are considered when discussing which treatment to recommend, Venkat says. Working with a multidisciplinary team makes it possible to further understand which options may be more beneficial over others in specific situations, Venkat adds.

For example, if radiation therapy is being considered for a patient, several factors must be considered, such as whether that patient has had prior radiation in the same area. If that is the case, it might be more feasible to utilize image-guided brachytherapy ablation, as this modality offers the most targeted radiation delivery, Venkat explains.

Other factors to consider are the location of the tumor, as well as the anatomy of the general area, Venkat adds. For example, if a tumor is attached to a bowel, image-guided brachytherapy ablation is one of the only techniques that can be offered, according to Venkat. This is because other techniques may deliver either too high of a radiation dose, or could damage the bowel, Venkat explains. Moreover, brachytherapy is a technique that is not limited by type of tumor or anatomical site and can be adapted to be utilized all over the body, Venkat concludes.