Ovarian cancer: a nursing overview

Since the majority of patients with ovarian cancer present with advanced stages of the disease and chemotherapy is an integral part of the treatment at this stage, the role of the nurse is paramount. Nursing management of patients receiving chemotherapy focuses primarily on education. Patients and families need to learn about the drugs to be administered, their schedules, and potential side effects. The author discusses the management of side effects resulting from the two-drug cisplatin-cyclophosphamide combination and their respective analogs. Care of patients participating in clinical trials, especially those involving intraperitoneal therapy, also is discussed.