Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer

Overview
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IP therapy) is an ovarian cancer treatment. It is similar to chemotherapy in that it uses the same types of drugs, but it delivers them to the body in a different way.

Rather than supplying chemotherapy to the whole body through an IV, the drugs are put directly into the abdomen through a tiny tube during IP therapy. This way, the chemotherapy can directly affect and kill local cancer cells in that area. IP therapy may be used after a debulking surgery to remove any remaining tumor.

Impact on Fertility
Some IP therapy drugs for ovarian cancer are more damaging to your fertility than others. In some cases, you may be able to undergo treatment with chemo medications that allow you to retain the ability to get pregnant. Talk to your doctor about your fertility expectations before receiving IP therapy so they can consider which treatment would be best for you.

Intended Outcomes
The main goal of intraperitoneal chemotherapy treatment is to kill cancer cells that were left behind after surgery.

Considerations
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy most strongly affects cancer cells, but it can damage the normal cells of your body, too. Because of this, IP therapy may cause side effects. Some of the most common side effects of intraperitoneal chemotherapy are nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and kidney injury.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Ovarian Cancer Treatment — MD Anderson Cancer Center
https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/ovarian...

How Cancer and Cancer Treatment Can Affect Fertility in Females — American Cancer Society
https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and...

Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (IP Chemo) — OncoLink
https://www.oncolink.org/cancer-treatment/cance...