Stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer can spread across the abdominal lining, into fluid around the lungs, or to more distant sites. Symptoms may include abdominal swelling, pelvic discomfort, reduced appetite, bowel or urinary changes, and breathlessness when fluid affects the chest. Imaging, examination, pathology, and sometimes molecular testing help define the extent and type of disease. Stage alone does not determine one person’s future.

The gynaecological oncology team may discuss chemotherapy, ovarian cancer debulking surgery, or surgery at another point in the treatment sequence. Pelvic ultrasound can assess selected findings, while genomic tumour profiling and BRCA genetic testing may inform treatment or family discussions. Palliative care can support pain, appetite, sleep, breathlessness, and emotional wellbeing at any stage.

Seek urgent medical help for severe or rapidly increasing abdominal pain and swelling, repeated vomiting, inability to pass stool or gas, fainting, new confusion, or significant breathing difficulty. These symptoms may indicate bowel blockage, fluid, infection, or another complication and need prompt assessment.

Where has the cancer spread, and what does that mean for treatment? Is surgery appropriate now or later? Should I have genomic or BRCA testing? How will symptoms be monitored, and who should I call outside appointments?