Dr. Wingo Discusses Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer

Shana Wingo, MD, gynecologic oncologist, Arizona Oncology, discusses the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.

Although there has not been many new surgical advancements in the treatment of ovarian cancer in the last year, there has been an uptake of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Wingo says that many patients do not see a gynecologic oncologist before they start their therapy, so many surgeons administer chemotherapy, perfom the surgery, and then follow-up themselves.

The adoption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has caused a paradigm shift, Wingo says. Previously, upfront debulking was often used in lieu of neoadjuvant therapy. Wingo says that she feels less apprehensive about bypassing upfront debulking as more data come out in support of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This paradigm shift may be a very positive one for patients with ovarian cancer, she concludes.