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More than 9 out of 10 ovarian cancers are called "adenocarcinomas," a word which means cancers that arise from groups of cells that form glands within the ovary. Among the more rare types of ovarian cancer are the malignant mixed Müllerian tumors, or mixed mesodermal tumors. These are cancers that combine adenocarcinomas with the much more aggressive type of cancer called sarcoma. According to the current terminology, these tumors are now called carcinosarcomas, meaning cancers that have components of these two different cell types.
Carcinosarcomas are fortunately very rare tumors. Sometimes they are successfully treated with surgery alone, but more often chemotherapy is added to stop progression of the disease. Because studies with large groups of patients are required to determine the best treatment, this disease has not been studied in depth. For that reason, there is no "standard" chemotherapy. The most common chemotherapy programs are those used for similar but more common diseases: ovarian cancers and sarcomas of other parts of the body. The most often-used chemotherapy agents are combinations of cisplatin, ifosfamide, adriamycin, carboplatin and taxol. Radiation is sometimes used in an effort to keep the disease from coming back or to treat a small area of recurrent disease.
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Please provide information on Mullerian Ovarian cancer and the current most effective treatment, including types of chemotherapy.