What should you know about neoadjuvant chemotherapy for ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer may involve the ovaries, pelvis, abdominal lining, or nearby organs. Chemotherapy before surgery circulates through the body and may make widespread disease easier to remove safely. A gynaecological oncology team uses scans, examination, blood tests, and your overall health to decide whether treatment should begin with medicine, surgery, or another approach. Surgery may follow if the team believes an operation can remove the visible disease safely; chemotherapy commonly continues as part of the wider plan.

Treatment can cause tiredness, nausea, appetite changes, hair loss, mouth soreness, constipation or diarrhoea, and lower blood-cell counts. Kidney, nerve, hearing, or allergic effects depend on the medicines used. Tell your team about previous reactions, other medicines, bowel symptoms, and any wish to discuss fertility or menopause support.

Attend blood tests and pre-treatment reviews, use prescribed anti-sickness medicines, and keep a note of bowel, bladder, appetite, pain, and energy changes. Ask when to expect imaging and how the results affect surgery timing. Small frequent meals, fluids as advised, gentle movement, and help with household tasks may make treatment more manageable. Check before taking supplements or herbal products.

Contact the oncology service urgently for fever, shaking chills, severe diarrhoea, repeated vomiting, or inability to keep fluids down. Seek immediate help for new severe abdominal swelling or pain, fainting, chest pain, breathing difficulty, confusion, or heavy bleeding. A blocked bowel can cause worsening cramps, vomiting, and inability to pass stool or gas and requires urgent assessment.

Why is chemotherapy before surgery recommended for me, what will show that it is working, and what would make surgery safer or less suitable? Which symptoms need a same-day call? Should I arrange nutrition, fertility, menopause, stoma, or emotional support before treatment?