Treatments for borderline ovarian tumours

Surgery is used to treat borderline ovarian tumours. The type of surgery you have will depend on the stage of the tumour and where it is. Your healthcare team will suggest treatments based on your needs and they'll work with you to develop a treatment plan.

Different types of surgery may be used for early-stage (stage 1) borderline ovarian tumours. The types of surgery that may be done include the following:

• A unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy removes only the ovary that has the tumour in it and the fallopian tube on the same side. It's done if the tumour hasn't spread outside of the ovary.
• A bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy removes both ovaries and fallopian tubes.
• A total hysterectomy removes the uterus and cervix. A bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and total hysterectomy will be done if the tumour has spread outside of the ovary. It can also be done if the tumour hasn't spread outside of the ovary to lower the risk of it coming back.
• A cystectomy removes only the part of the ovary with the tumour. It's rarely done.

Find out more about surgery for ovarian cancer.

Surgery is usually used for advanced (stages 2, 3 and 4) borderline ovarian tumours. The types of surgery that may be done are:

• a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and a total hysterectomy
• removal of as much of the tumour as possible (called surgical debulking)

Recurrent borderline tumours means that the disease has come back after it has been treated. In rare cases, a borderline ovarian tumour can turn into mucinous ovarian carcinoma, a cancerous ovarian tumour.

Surgically removing as much of the cancer as possible (called surgical debulking) is the main treatment for recurrent borderline ovarian tumours.

Talk to your doctor about clinical trials open to people with ovarian cancer in Canada. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. Find out more about clinical trials.