Top 10 Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know When Caring for Patients with Ovarian Cancer

The vast majority of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer present with advanced-stage disease with a five-year survival rate less than 50%. Studies have shown that in the past, gynecologic oncologists were not routinely collaborating with palliative care physicians resulting in goals of care planning often not occurring until the last 30 days before death. In recent years, professional societies have been increasingly more vocal about the importance of incorporating palliative care early in a patient's disease course. As these calls increase, palliative care clinicians will be likely to comanage patients with ovarian cancer and may benefit from additional targeted education on this unique population. We brought together a team of gynecologic oncology and palliative care experts to collate practical pearls for the care of women with epithelial ovarian cancer. In this article, we use a "Top 10" format to highlight issues that may help palliative care physicians understand a patient's prognosis, address common misconceptions about ovarian cancer, and improve the quality of shared decision making and goals-of-care discussions.