5 Facts Everyone Should Know About Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is diagnosed annually in nearly a quarter of a million women globally, and is responsible for 140,000 deaths each year. Unlike some other cancers, developing and developed nations are similarly affected by the disease. It is important to be aware of symptoms, risk factors and your family history on both your father’s and mother’s side of the family.
Fact 2: Awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer may enable women to receive an earlier diagnosis, when the disease is more easily treatable.
If a woman experiences one or more of the following symptoms frequently it is important that she discuss them with her doctor. Increased abdominal size / persistent bloating (not bloating that comes and goes)
• Increased abdominal size / persistent bloating (not bloating that comes and goes)
• Difficulty eating/feeling full quickly
• Abdominal or pelvic pain
• Needing to pass urine more urgently or more frequently
While these symptoms are often associated with more common and less serious conditions it is better to check them out.
Fact 3: Diagnosis at an early stage vastly improves a woman’s chance of survival
When ovarian cancer is detected at an early stage, when the cancer remains confined to the ovary, up to 90% of women are likely to survive for more than five years (the length of time over which survival is normally measured when assessing cancer treatment). A woman who has symptoms suggestive of ovarian cancer should be referred directly to a specialist to obtain an accurate diagnosis. If she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a gynecologic oncologist, who is a specialist who treats women’s cancers, is the best person to manage her care.
Fact 4: Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage
Ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed when the cancer is already at an advanced stage and women often delay seeking help. This may be because the woman thinks her symptoms are due to ‘the time of the month’, ‘menopause’, ‘something I ate’ or confused with other common stomach and digestive complaints. Doctors also often initially suspect less serious causes for the symptoms, but the frequency of symptoms should help them know when to consider ovarian cancer, that is why using a symptom diary might be helpful.
Fact 5: Many women mistakenly believe a cervical smear test (or Pap test) will detect ovarian cancer.
It does not. It detects pre-cancerous changes to cells of the cervix, which is treated much more successfully than ovarian cancer.
symptoms of ovarian cancer:
What makes ovarian cancer so unspeakably dangerous is that it is hardest to detect in its early stages. Sadly, only about 19% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed before the cancer has spread outside of the ovaries when the disease is most responsive to treatment.
To complicate matters, the ovaries are tiny organs buried deep within the abdomen, making the symptoms originating from them all the more difficult to detect and all the more likely to be confused for something far less serious. The more progressed the disease, the more pronounced the symptoms are likely to be.
The most common symptoms include:
- Bloating
- Pelvic or abdominal pain
- Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
- Urinary urgency or frequency
Although these symptoms can also be indicative of benign conditions, they can suggest the presence of cancers in other organs. Symptoms that are out of the ordinary for you and that persist almost daily for 2 weeks or more should be brought to the immediate attention of your gynecologist.
Additional symptoms of ovarian cancer, which can also be symptoms of other conditions, include:
- Upset stomach
- Back pain
- Pain during sex
- Constipation
- Menstrual changes
- Unexplained changes in bowel habits
- Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
- Ongoing unusual fatigue
prevention
Can ovarian cancer be prevented?
Science is still far from knowing how to prevent ovarian cancer, but there is mounting evidence suggesting ways of reducing one's risk of developing the disease.
- Oral contraception. Women who have used birth control pills for 5 or more consecutive years reduce their risk of developing ovarian cancer; their risk continues to drop the longer birth control pills are used. However, the use of birth control pills may elevate some risk of developing breast cancer in some women.
- Breast feeding and pregnancy. Having one or more children, particularly before age 25, and breast feeding may decrease one's risk of developing ovarian cancer.
- Surgical prevention. For women who are at particularly high risk for ovarian cancer and who are outside of their reproductive years, certain surgical procedures such as tubal ligation (tying the fallopian tubes), hysterectomy (removing the uterus) and oophorectomy (removing the ovaries) can greatly reduce the relative risk of developing ovarian cancer. However, all surgical procedures carry risks and should be discussed in full with one's physician.
diagnosis
How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?
Unfortunately, 77% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in an advanced stage, primarily because symptoms that present in the early stages of the disease are often subtle, misinterpreted, inconsistent or ignored. Even routine pelvic exams are unlikely to detect ovarian cancer when it is most treatable before it has spread beyond the ovaries.
The sooner ovarian cancer can be correctly diagnosed, the greater a woman's chances are of surviving it. Ovarian cancer may be uncommon, but it is especially deadly. That's why it is so important for women to be aware of the symptoms and keen to their possible presence at all times.
stages of ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is classified in chronological stages I through IV. Each stage can then be further classified into sub-categories. Should you be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, your doctor will be your best resource when it comes to understanding the full categorization and classification of your cancer.
The following chart provides an overview of the four basic stages of ovarian cancer:
- Stage I. Ovarian cancer is confined to one or both ovaries.
- Stage II. Ovarian cancer has spread to other locations in the pelvis, such as the uterus or fallopian tubes.
- Stage III. Ovarian cancer has spread to the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum) or to the lymph nodes within the abdomen. This is the most common stage of disease identified at the time of diagnosis.
- Stage IV. Ovarian cancer has spread to organs beyond the abdomen.
