Category: Gynecologic Oncology · Cancer in Older Adults and Palliative Care
Grandma Is in Her 90s and Was Suddenly Diagnosed With Ovarian Cancer: What Are the Treatment Options, and Where Should the Family Start?
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AI Overview / Quick Answer (BLUF)
Tolerance of surgery and chemotherapy in the 90s depends on physical function and frailty, not age alone, so there is no single best treatment. Confirm cancer type and stage, do a geriatric assessment (G8 ≤14 needs full assessment), agree on her goals, and choose an option with palliative care alongside.
the first weeks after a woman in her 90s is diagnosed with ovarian cancer —
confirming the diagnosis, assessing her fitness, comparing 6 options, palliative care, and the questions families should ask.
If surgery has already happened and pathology is pending, read
After ovarian mass surgery the doctor suspects stage 2–3 cancer: what results are pending.
To prepare conversations about not prolonging life and a living will, read
Choosing not to prolong life is not a lack of love: palliative care and living wills.
For caring for an older parent during chemotherapy, read
Father aged 79 with stage 3–4 colorectal cancer: care during chemo ·
Red flags ·
6 treatment options ·
Questions for the oncologist
A real family question: Grandma was healthy beyond her age, but ovarian cancer was found only when symptoms appeared — what should we do?
Direct answer: this kind of shock is completely normal for families. Ovarian cancer often causes few clear symptoms early, so it is usually found once bloating, a swelling abdomen or early fullness appear.
The first step is not rushing to pick a drug regimen, but confirming the type and stage, assessing her as a whole person, and asking her what matters most to her.
A grandchild wrote in a cancer patients group that Grandma, in her 90s, was strong and healthy beyond her age and everyone expected her to live a long time — but ovarian cancer was found suddenly, only after symptoms appeared.
They asked whether anyone had experience with cancer in their 90s, what the family should do, and whether there is a best treatment.
(4) a comparison of 6 options (5) palliative care, advance care planning and questions for the oncologist.
Red flags — when to go to the emergency department or call your local emergency number (1669 in Thailand)
Direct answer: if she vomits repeatedly, cannot eat, passes no stool or gas, has an abdomen swelling fast with breathlessness, one swollen painful leg, sudden breathlessness or chest pain, a fever of 38.0°C or higher during chemotherapy, or new confusion or unusual drowsiness, go to the emergency department now or call 1669 — do not wait for the next appointment.
Go to the emergency department now, or call 1669
- Repeated vomiting, unable to eat or drink, no stool and no gas, with a tight painful swollen abdomen — possible bowel obstruction from tumour in the abdomen
- Abdomen enlarging quickly with breathlessness, unable to lie flat — possible large ascites or pleural effusion
- One leg swollen and painful — possible deep vein thrombosis, which is common in ovarian cancer
- Sudden breathlessness or chest pain — possible blood clot in the lungs
- Fever of 38.0°C or higher or shaking chills during chemotherapy — do not just take a fever reducer and wait at home (NCI — infection and neutropenia)
- New confusion or unusual drowsiness, hard to wake — older people often show infection, dehydration or salt imbalance this way
- Very little or no urine — possible severe dehydration or kidney problems
- Heavy vaginal or rectal bleeding
- Abdominal or body pain not controlled by her current medicines
Contact the treating team or be seen the same day
- Eating much less for several days, or rapid weight loss
- Dry mouth, dizziness on sitting up, drinking far less than usual
- Constipation for several days with increasing bloating, even if she still passes gas
- A fall, or no longer able to get up and walk as before
- Low mood, not wanting to talk or eat at all — tell the team, because this can be cared for too
1. Why there is no single best treatment: physical function matters more than age
Direct answer: the best plan is the one that fits her body and her own goals. Age alone does not decide whether treatment is possible.
Many fit people in their 90s tolerate gentle treatment, while frail people may be harmed more than helped.
ASCO recommends a geriatric assessment for everyone aged 65 or older who is considering chemotherapy (Mohile 2018)
G8 screening score that calls for a full geriatric assessment — about 85% sensitivity in 364 patients (Bellera 2012)
Rates of severe chemotherapy side effects in low, intermediate and high-risk groups on the CARG tool (Hurria 2011)
Sources: Mohile 2018;
Bellera 2012;
Hurria 2011 — population research figures, not individual predictions
Fit beyond her age versus frail: what is the difference?
- Fit beyond her age: manages daily activities, walks steadily, good memory, eats well, little weight loss — gentle chemotherapy can often be considered
- Becoming vulnerable: needs help with some tasks, has fallen, losing weight, or several other illnesses — doses or schedules are often adjusted and other care is strengthened first
- Very frail: mostly in bed, eating very little, or confused — symptom-focused care usually offers more benefit
Decision flow: where should the family start?
Direct answer: start by confirming the diagnosis, then do a geriatric assessment, talk about goals, choose an option, with the palliative care team involved throughout — the 5 steps often run in parallel within a few weeks.
2. Confirm the diagnosis and stage before choosing treatment
Direct answer: before chemotherapy there should be a CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, a CA-125 blood test plus CEA
to help exclude a bowel or stomach origin, and tissue or cell confirmation to establish the FIGO stage and cell type
(NCI — ovarian cancer treatment PDQ).
Imaging: CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis
Shows the size of the mass, spread in the abdomen, fluid in the abdomen or around the lungs, and lymph nodes — helping decide how much could be removed surgically and what should come first.
Blood tests: CA-125 and CEA
CA-125 is often raised in epithelial ovarian cancer and is used to follow treatment response. CEA helps identify cancers that start in the bowel or stomach and spread to the ovaries — blood tests alone cannot make the diagnosis.
Tissue or cell confirmation before chemotherapy
Without surgery, this is usually an image-guided biopsy (ultrasound or CT) or cells from drained abdominal fluid or pleural fluid, which can usually be done under local anaesthetic, without general anaesthesia.
What the FIGO stage and cell type tell you
- High-grade serous — the most common type; usually responds well to platinum drugs at first
- Low-grade serous — grows more slowly, responds less to chemotherapy, and often has estrogen receptors, so hormone therapy may be used
- Other types such as clear cell, endometrioid or mucinous — behave and are treated differently; ask which type she has
- FIGO stage 1–4 — stage 3 means spread within the abdomen; stage 4 means spread outside it, such as a pleural effusion containing cancer cells
3. Geriatric assessment: what is checked and why it matters
Direct answer: a geriatric assessment looks at daily activities, falls and walking, memory, nutrition and weight, other illnesses and medicines, mood, and who can care for her.
ASCO recommends it for everyone aged 65 or older who is considering chemotherapy, because it finds problems routine oncology checks miss
(Mohile 2018).
G8 screening: a score of 14 or less needs a full assessment
The G8 is an 8-item screen (7 items from the Mini Nutritional Assessment plus age) scored out of 17. A score of 14 or less means a full geriatric assessment is needed. In 364 cancer patients over 70, the cut-off of 14 gave about 85% sensitivity and 65% specificity (Bellera 2012).
The CARG tool: estimating the risk of severe chemotherapy side effects
CARG combines age, cancer type, regimen, blood tests, hearing, falls, walking and daily activities to estimate the risk of grade 3–5 side effects. In 500 patients aged 65 or older, severe side effects occurred in about 30% of the low-risk group, 52% of the intermediate-risk group and 83% of the high-risk group (Hurria 2011).
Table: geriatric assessment domains and what they mean for treatment
General education — each team may use different tools; families help greatly by describing her daily life honestly
| Domain | What is checked | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Daily activities (ADL / IADL) | Bathing, dressing, toileting on her own; cooking, taking medicines, managing money, using the phone | Shows how much reserve her body has to tolerate treatment, and whether she can return to independence afterwards |
| Falls and walking | Any recent falls; how steadily she walks and rises from a chair | Fatigue or numb feet from drugs raise the risk of falls and fractures, which are very dangerous at this age |
| Memory and thinking | A short test such as the Mini-Cog; ability to understand information and decide | Helps plan her involvement in decisions and prepare for acute confusion after surgery or during treatment |
| Nutrition and weight | Unintended weight loss, eating less, early fullness from abdominal fluid | Malnutrition increases side effects and lowers tolerance; partly correctable with nutrition support |
| Other illnesses | Heart, kidneys, lungs, diabetes, blood pressure | Kidney function sets the carboplatin dose; heart and lung health affect the safety of anaesthesia |
| Current medicines | Total number, drugs causing drowsiness or dizziness, interactions, herbs and supplements | Stopping unnecessary drugs reduces falls, confusion and drug interactions |
| Mood | Low mood, anxiety, poor sleep | Affects eating, sleep and motivation for treatment — and can be treated |
| Carers and social support | Who she lives with, who takes her to hospital, who helps at night | Weekly chemotherapy needs frequent transport, and home care needs shared shifts so carers do not burn out |
4. Six treatment options: who each suits and what it costs her
Direct answer: in the 90s major surgery first is rarely chosen. More common paths are about 3 cycles of chemotherapy first and then reassessment,
gentle chemotherapy alone, hormone therapy for some tumour types, or symptom-focused care only — and BRCA/HRD testing is recommended whichever path is chosen.
Similar survival with chemotherapy before surgery versus surgery first (EORTC 55971, 670 patients)
Deaths within 28 days of surgery: surgery-first group versus chemotherapy-first group (CHORUS)
Deaths within 60 days of debulking surgery in 85 patients over 80 (Moore 2008)
Sources: Vergote 2010;
Kehoe 2015;
Moore 2008 — an HR close to 1 means similar results
A. Upfront debulking surgery — rarely chosen in the 90s
Open abdominal surgery to remove as much tumour as possible, followed by chemotherapy. The risk of complications and death after surgery rises steeply with age and frailty.
In patients over 80, 13% died before hospital discharge, 20% within 60 days, and 13% could not receive the planned chemotherapy (Moore 2008).
In patients aged 75 or older with extensive disease and poor performance or nutritional status, complex surgery carried 63.6% morbidity with limited survival benefit (Aletti 2011).
It is considered only for very fit, carefully selected people.
B. Chemotherapy first, about 3 cycles, then reassess (neoadjuvant chemotherapy)
Carboplatin-based chemotherapy for about 3 cycles, then repeat CT and CA-125. If the tumour has shrunk well and she is still fit enough, interval surgery is considered; if not, chemotherapy continues without surgery.
The EORTC 55971 and CHORUS trials found similar survival to surgery first, with less surgical harm — in CHORUS, severe postoperative complications were 14% versus 24% and 28-day deaths under 1% versus 6%
(Vergote 2010;
Kehoe 2015).
C. Chemotherapy without surgery — and why not to default to single-agent carboplatin
Carboplatin-based, with the dose calculated from kidney function. The EWOC-1 trial in 120 vulnerable older women aged 70–94 (median 80) found that
single-agent carboplatin gave significantly worse survival than carboplatin plus paclitaxel, and the independent committee stopped the trial early
(Falandry 2021).
A gentler schedule often used is weekly low-dose carboplatin with low-dose paclitaxel (in EWOC-1, days 1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks).
In the MITO-7 trial, the weekly schedule gave similar disease control to the every-3-weeks schedule, steadier quality of life, febrile neutropenia in 0.5% versus 3%, and grade 2 or worse neuropathy in only 6% versus 17%
(Pignata 2014) — the trade-off is more frequent hospital visits.
D. Hormone therapy (aromatase inhibitors such as letrozole)
Used mainly for low-grade serous or estrogen-receptor-positive tumours, or when chemotherapy is unsuitable. It is a daily tablet taken at home,
with modest benefit but good tolerance; possible side effects are joint pain, hot flushes and bone thinning. In a retrospective study of low-grade serous cancer, women given hormonal maintenance after surgery and chemotherapy had a median progression-free survival of 64.9 months versus 26.4 months with observation
(Gershenson 2017).
E. Symptom-focused care only (best supportive care) — a legitimate, respected choice
Suits people who are very frail, or when she chooses not to have cancer-directed treatment. The team can still do a lot: draining abdominal fluid
(abdominal tap / paracentesis) with an indwelling catheter if it keeps returning, draining pleural fluid,
managing bowel obstruction, and controlling pain, nausea, nutrition and mood — the goal is comfort and being where she wants to be.
F. BRCA/HRD testing — recommended for high-grade ovarian cancer at any age
The ASCO guideline recommends germline BRCA1/2 testing for everyone with epithelial ovarian cancer, with tumour testing if the germline result is negative
(Konstantinopoulos 2020).
High-grade tumours should also have HRD testing. The results matter for daughters, granddaughters and blood relatives and decide eligibility for PARP inhibitor maintenance,
where anaemia and fatigue need close watching in the very old (NCI — BRCA fact sheet).
Table: comparing 6 options for ovarian cancer in the 90s
Drug classes and generic names only — no individual survival figures; the real plan depends on her gynecologic oncology team
| Option | Who it suits | What it involves | Main burdens | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Upfront debulking surgery | Rare in the 90s — only very fit people who pass the geriatric assessment and whose tumour looks largely removable | Major open abdominal surgery and a hospital stay, then chemotherapy | Complications and deaths after surgery rise steeply with age and frailty; slow recovery; some never get chemotherapy | Remove as much tumour as possible for long-term control |
| B. Chemotherapy first, then reassess | Can tolerate chemotherapy, but immediate surgery is high-risk or the disease is extensive | Carboplatin-based chemotherapy for about 3 cycles, re-scan, interval surgery only if still fit enough | Fatigue, low blood counts, numb hands and feet; later surgery is less harmful than surgery first | Control disease and symptoms; survival similar to surgery first with less surgical burden |
| C. Chemotherapy alone | Can tolerate chemotherapy but is not suited to surgery | Carboplatin dosed from kidney function, usually with paclitaxel; weekly low-dose schedules are gentler | Frequent visits (weekly), low blood counts, fatigue, needs someone to bring her | Control disease, reduce abdominal fluid and symptoms, extend time living well |
| D. Hormone therapy (aromatase inhibitor) | Low-grade serous or estrogen-receptor-positive tumours, or when chemotherapy is unsuitable | A daily tablet such as letrozole at home, with periodic check-ups | Well tolerated; possible joint pain, hot flushes, bone thinning | Modestly slow the disease with little disruption to daily life |
| E. Symptom-focused care only | Very frail, or she chooses not to have cancer-directed treatment | Abdominal fluid drainage (indwelling catheter if it keeps returning), pleural drainage, bowel-obstruction care, pain, nausea, nutrition, mood | Lowest; mostly at home, hospital visits only for drainage or symptoms | Comfort, being where she wants to be, with the people she loves — a respected choice, not abandonment |
| F. BRCA/HRD testing (alongside every option) | High-grade epithelial ovarian cancer at any age | Blood or saliva test (germline) and/or tumour testing (tumour BRCA and HRD) | Low; if a PARP inhibitor is used, anaemia and fatigue need close watching | Risk information for daughters, granddaughters and relatives, and PARP inhibitor maintenance eligibility |
Grade the warning signs during her cancer treatment
More bloating, eating less, fever, severe fatigue or drowsiness — is it urgent, and how urgent?
Get your severity level and personalized guidance from our Advisory team.
This score grades the urgency of symptoms during cancer treatment; it does not diagnose disease and does not replace appointments with the treating team — for emergencies, see the red-flag section above.
5. Early palliative care and advance care planning with Grandma
Direct answer: the palliative care team works alongside the oncology team from the start and improves quality of life — it is not giving up.
ASCO recommends that people with advanced cancer receive dedicated palliative care early in the illness, alongside active treatment, and family carers can use these services too
(Ferrell 2017;
NCI — palliative care).
What the palliative care team can do
- Drain abdominal and pleural fluid, and plan an indwelling catheter if fluid keeps returning
- Prevent and manage constipation and bowel obstruction
- Control pain with medicines suited to older kidneys and liver, plus nausea and vomiting (NCI — nausea and vomiting)
- Adjust food so she can eat small amounts often, of what she enjoys
- Support mood, fear, and the exhaustion of family carers
Advance care planning: ask Grandma what matters most
If she can still decide, make her the main decision-maker. Ask respectfully what matters most to her
and record her wishes (MedlinePlus — advance directives).
Read more about living wills in the palliative care and living will guide.
Questions to talk through with Grandma (gently, not all at once)
- What matters most to you right now — being at home, eating what you like, time with family, or avoiding long hospital stays?
- What worries or frightens you most?
- If treatment made you very tired, how much would you accept in exchange for more time?
- If you became very ill, would you want the ICU, a breathing tube or resuscitation?
- If one day you cannot decide for yourself, who should decide for you?
6. Questions the family should ask the oncologist
Direct answer: get answers on 4 main things — stage and cell type, the goal of treatment, what life during treatment looks like, and how symptoms will be controlled if there is no chemotherapy. Write the answers down and bring Grandma in if she is ready.
Checklist to take into the clinic
- What FIGO stage is it, and what cell type (high-grade serous, low-grade or another type)?
- Is the goal to control the disease, or is cure possible?
- At her age, what does a typical week on treatment look like — how many hospital visits, any overnight stays?
- Which side effects are likely, and how are they prevented or managed?
- What happens if there is no chemotherapy, and how will symptoms be controlled?
- Should she have BRCA or HRD testing, and what would the result mean for her children and grandchildren?
- How do we reach the palliative care team?
- Who do we call, or where do we go, for an emergency out of hours?
Families caring for an older parent during chemotherapy can also read the guide to caring for a 79-year-old father during chemo.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Can ovarian cancer still be treated in someone over 90?
Yes, if her body is ready. Age alone does not decide; physical function does, such as whether she manages daily activities herself, walks steadily, eats well, and which other illnesses she has. Many fit people in their 90s tolerate gentle treatment, while frail people may be harmed more than helped, so a geriatric assessment should come before the decision.
What is the best ovarian cancer treatment for a 90-year-old?
There is no single best treatment for everyone. The best plan is the one that fits her physical fitness and her own goals. Options range from chemotherapy first with surgery considered later, gentle chemotherapy alone, hormone therapy for some tumour types, to symptom-focused care only, which is also a respected choice. A palliative care team should work alongside every option.
Should a woman in her 90s have ovarian cancer surgery first?
Usually not. Major debulking surgery first is rarely chosen in the 90s because complications and deaths after surgery rise steeply with age and frailty. In a study of patients over 80, 20% died within 60 days of surgery. It is considered only for very fit, carefully selected people, so most start with about 3 cycles of chemotherapy and are then reassessed for surgery.
Is single-agent carboplatin gentler and safer for a very old woman?
Not necessarily. The EWOC-1 trial in vulnerable older women aged 70 to 94 found that single-agent carboplatin gave significantly worse survival than carboplatin plus paclitaxel, and the trial was stopped early. A gentler schedule often used is weekly low-dose carboplatin with low-dose paclitaxel, with the carboplatin dose calculated from kidney function. The oncologist chooses the regimen based on her condition.
Which tests are needed before chemotherapy, and is a biopsy necessary?
Yes, tissue confirmation should come first. Usual tests are a CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, a CA-125 blood test plus CEA to help exclude a bowel or stomach origin, and tissue or cells before chemotherapy, for example an image-guided biopsy or cells from drained abdominal or chest fluid. This gives the FIGO stage and cell type. High-grade serous is the most common; low-grade and other types behave differently.
Why test for BRCA when she is already so old?
The ASCO guideline recommends BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing for everyone with epithelial ovarian cancer, whatever their age, and high-grade tumours should also have HRD testing on the tumour. The result helps in two ways. It shows the risk for daughters, granddaughters and blood relatives, who can then be tested and plan prevention, and it decides eligibility for PARP inhibitor maintenance, where anaemia and fatigue need close watching in the very old.
If we choose symptom-focused care only, does that mean giving up?
No. Symptom-focused care is a legitimate and respected choice, especially when it matches what matters most to her, such as staying at home and avoiding hospital stays. The team can still do a lot: drain abdominal fluid, drain chest fluid, manage bowel obstruction, and control pain, nausea, nutrition and mood. Even when cancer treatment is chosen, ASCO recommends palliative care alongside from early on because it improves quality of life.
The abdominal fluid keeps coming back. What can be done?
Doctors can drain the abdominal fluid under local anaesthetic, which quickly eases breathing and helps her eat more. If the fluid returns so often that repeated drains are needed, an indwelling catheter can be placed so fluid can be drained at home. If she responds to chemotherapy, the fluid often decreases too. If the abdomen swells fast with breathlessness, repeated vomiting, or no stool or gas, go to the emergency department.
Scientific mechanism
Why frailty matters more than age: with ageing, each organ system still works at rest, but physiologic reserve declines unevenly from person to person.
Under the stress of major surgery or chemotherapy, people with little reserve lose balance easily — acute confusion, falls, infection, or never regaining independence.
That is why a geriatric assessment predicts side effects better than age or a routine performance check alone (Hurria 2011).
Why carboplatin is dosed from kidney function: carboplatin is cleared mainly by the kidneys, so the dose is calculated from the kidney filtration rate to reach a target blood exposure (AUC).
In the 90s the kidneys usually filter less, even when blood creatinine looks normal because muscle mass is low. Overestimating kidney function means too much drug and deeper bone-marrow suppression.
Why chemotherapy first reduces surgical burden: high-grade serous ovarian cancer is usually platinum-sensitive, so the mass and peritoneal deposits often shrink in the first 3 cycles,
making later surgery smaller. In EORTC 55971, residual disease of 1 cm or less was achieved in 80.6% after chemotherapy first versus 41.6% with surgery first (Vergote 2010).
Why ascites and blood clots develop: cancer cells on the peritoneum release factors that make vessels leaky and block lymphatic drainage under the diaphragm, so fluid collects in the abdomen.
At the same time, cancer cells activate clotting, a pelvic mass compresses veins, and long periods in bed slow blood flow — so clot risk in ovarian cancer is high.
Why BRCA/HRD results guide PARP inhibitors: cells with faulty BRCA genes or homologous-recombination repair depend on the PARP enzyme to repair DNA.
When a PARP inhibitor blocks that route, the cancer cells die (synthetic lethality), but the drug can also affect bone marrow, so anaemia needs watching in the very old
(Konstantinopoulos 2020).
Written and reviewed by Asst. Prof. Dr. Norawit Raatpiboon
Academic references (E-E-A-T)
- Mohile SG et al. Practical Assessment and Management of Vulnerabilities in Older Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: ASCO Guideline for Geriatric Oncology. J Clin Oncol 2018 (PMID 29782209)
- Bellera CA et al. Screening older cancer patients: first evaluation of the G-8 geriatric screening tool. Ann Oncol 2012 (PMID 22250183)
- Hurria A et al. Predicting chemotherapy toxicity in older adults with cancer: a prospective multicenter study. J Clin Oncol 2011 (PMID 21810685)
- Vergote I et al. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or primary surgery in stage IIIC or IV ovarian cancer. N Engl J Med 2010 (PMID 20818904)
- Kehoe S et al. Primary chemotherapy versus primary surgery for newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer (CHORUS): an open-label, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. Lancet 2015 (PMID 26002111)
- Falandry C et al. Efficacy and Safety of First-line Single-Agent Carboplatin vs Carboplatin Plus Paclitaxel for Vulnerable Older Adult Women With Ovarian Cancer: A GINECO/GCIG Randomized Clinical Trial (EWOC-1). JAMA Oncol 2021 (PMID 33885718)
- Pignata S et al. Carboplatin plus paclitaxel once a week versus every 3 weeks in patients with advanced ovarian cancer (MITO-7): a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol 2014 (PMID 24582486)
- Moore KN et al. Ovarian cancer in the octogenarian: does the paradigm of aggressive cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy still apply? Gynecol Oncol 2008 (PMID 18495221)
- Aletti GD et al. Identification of patient groups at highest risk from traditional approach to ovarian cancer treatment. Gynecol Oncol 2011 (PMID 20933255)
- Gershenson DM et al. Hormonal Maintenance Therapy for Women With Low-Grade Serous Cancer of the Ovary or Peritoneum. J Clin Oncol 2017 (PMID 28221866)
- Konstantinopoulos PA et al. Germline and Somatic Tumor Testing in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: ASCO Guideline. J Clin Oncol 2020 (PMID 31986064)
- Ferrell BR et al. Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update. J Clin Oncol 2017 (PMID 28034065)
- NCI — Ovarian epithelial cancer treatment (PDQ) · NCI — Palliative care in cancer · MedlinePlus — Ovarian cancer
Medical disclaimer
This article provides general education on ovarian cancer treatment options in older adults, geriatric assessment, and palliative care.
It is not a diagnosis, prescription, or individual treatment plan — decisions about surgery, regimens, doses and genetic testing must follow the gynecologic oncologist and team caring for her directly.
Figures come from population research. If any red-flag symptom appears, such as repeated vomiting, no stool or gas, sudden breathlessness, or fever of 38.0°C or higher during chemotherapy, go to the emergency department or call 1669 (Thailand) immediately.