3 benefits of personalized ovarian cancer treatment
July 30, 2026
You may already understand the importance of going to a place like UT MD Anderson for your cancer treatment. You may recognize the need for specialists who will tailor a plan just for you, based on the exact type of cancer you have and how advanced it is.
But how does that individualized care benefit you when it comes to ovarian cancer prevention and treatment, specifically?
Gynecologic oncologists Amir Jazaeri, M.D., and Roni Niteke Wilke, M.D., explored this topic during a recent episode of UT MD Anderson’s Cancerwise podcast.
Here are three benefits they shared.
Second-look laparoscopies may offer you earlier MRD treatment options
One of the biggest challenges of ovarian cancer is not that the initial therapies used to treat it don’t work. They often do. The problem lies in measurable residual disease (MRD), or the microscopic levels of cancer sometimes left behind despite these treatments.
These lingering cancer cells are undetectable using current scans and tests. But over time, they can eventually grow into a recurrence. So, UT MD Anderson doctors are offering ovarian cancer patients a procedure called a second-look laparoscopy to help them find these rogue cells earlier.
“We can detect residual cancer in 25% to 65% of the women who would otherwise have had a normal CT scan and CA-125 level at the time of surgery,” explains Jazaeri. “If we already know that MRD is associated with worse outcomes, why not offer these patients investigational therapies at this point, rather than waiting until the cancer becomes bigger and more difficult to treat?”
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What is personalized ovarian cancer treatment?
Fallopian tube removal may reduce your risk while also delaying menopause
Women with certain genetic mutations are often counseled to have their ovaries removed to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. But there can be downsides. Having your ovaries removed will put you immediately into surgical menopause — and bring the concerns that come with it: hot flashes, mood swings, bone loss, sexual dysfunction, and in the long term, heart disease and even cognitive deficits.
Fortunately, a growing body of evidence indicates that the most common type of what we now call ovarian cancer often starts out in the fallopian tubes. So, removing the fallopian tubes may offer a risk-reduction benefit. That’s why UT MD Anderson has several clinical trials underway to explore the benefits of salpingectomies without oopherectomies — in women at both high risk and average risk.
“I think going through menopause early is a big cost,” says Wilke. “This allows women to get what we hope is ovarian cancer prevention, but not at the expense of going into menopause so early.”
An oncofertility consultation may ease your fears about family building
A cancer diagnosis at any age can be unnerving. But if you haven’t started a family yet — and you want to — safeguarding your fertility may also be a concern.
Fortunately, UT MD Anderson has an Oncofertility Clinic on-site at its Texas Medical Center Campus. It is staffed by two reproductive medicine specialists: Terri Woodard, M.D., and Laurie McKenzie, M.D. They routinely evaluate patients with all types of cancer — not just ovarian — and help them explore fertility preserving options before starting treatment.
“A lot of people might not know this,” adds Jazaeri, “but sometimes, cervical cancer and certain types of ovarian and endometrial (uterine) cancer can be successfully treated without the loss of fertility.”
To hear the full conversation between Jazaeri and Wilke, listen to UT MD Anderson's Cancerwise podcast.
Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.