What kinds of therapies are available for ovarian cancer patients?

Ovarian cancer and its treatment can affect your physical functioning, breathing and overall energy. Your oncology rehabilitation team will help you build strength and endurance, regain independence, reduce stress and maintain the energy you need to participate in activities that are important to you throughout your ovarian cancer treatment. The following are some of the therapies you may need: 

• Physical therapy: As part of your ovarian cancer treatment, physical therapists can help you design an individualized exercise program that combines range-of-motion training with light resistance exercises to minimize your fatigue and optimize your physical function. Physical therapy also supports you after surgery to ensure efficient and safe recovery for ongoing treatment. Physical therapists encourage and support you to become mobile as soon as possible after surgery.
• Occupational therapy: Occupational therapists can help you with daily living activities that are important to your routine and quality of life, such as dressing, showering and eating.
• Manual therapy: Massage therapists can help reduce cancer-related pain and improve your quality of life during your ovarian cancer treatment.
• Acupuncture and auriculotherapy: This painless, non-invasive oncology rehabilitation treatment, which involves stimulation of the auricle of the external ear, can help alleviate some of the side effects of cancer treatments, such as pain, nausea or fatigue.