If you have positive lymph nodes or if you have involvement of the ovaries or tubes, you will likely need chemotherapy. In addition, if you have a serous papillary cancer of the uterus, your doctor will almost certainly recommend chemotherapy regardless of the stage of your disease. Finally, for disease that has reached the bowel or bladder, involves the upper abdomen or beyond (Stage III or IV), the standard of care is to offer chemotherapy.
In most cases, chemotherapy is not being given to treat cancer that was left behind, because most of the time your surgeon believes he or she has removed all of the cancer. Sometimes there can be cancer cells “floating” in your body, either in your abdomen (also called the peritoneal cavity) or in your circulation. The chemotherapy is being given to kill these cells so that they don’t have a chance to stop floating and sit and grow somewhere in your body.