When is ovarian cancer debulking surgery recommended for ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer may involve both ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the lining of the abdomen or nearby organs. Debulking surgery aims to remove as much visible cancer as can be removed safely. The procedure may therefore be wider than ovary removal alone, and the final plan is based on scans, examination and findings during surgery.

Chemotherapy may be given before surgery to shrink or control disease, or after an initial operation. The team weighs expected benefit against recovery demands, nutrition, other health conditions and the possibility of bowel or urinary procedures. Pathology from surgery helps guide additional treatment.

Ask the gynaecological oncology team which areas they expect to treat, whether chemotherapy should come first, and whether fertility preservation is relevant before treatment. Discuss menopause, nutrition, pain control, mobility, wound care and the possibility of a temporary or permanent stoma if bowel surgery may be needed. Use [Ovarian Cancer](/conditions/ovarian-cancer/) and [Ovarian Cancer Debulking Surgery](/treatments/surgical-oncology/ovarian-debulking-surgery/) for further reading.

Before surgery, report worsening abdominal swelling, ongoing vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, new breathlessness or severe pain. Following surgery, call the clinical team urgently for fever, increasing abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, repeated vomiting, inability to pass urine or stool, wound separation, chest pain, breathlessness or a painful swollen leg.

What does my imaging show about where the cancer has spread? What would make surgery unsafe or incomplete? Could medicines before surgery change the plan? Which organs might be affected? How will you support eating, movement, fertility and menopause during recovery?