Ovarian Cancer usually happens in women over age 50, but it can also affect younger women. Its cause is unknown. Ovarian cancer is hard to detect early.
The sooner ovarian cancer is found and treated, the better your chance for recovery. But ovarian cancer is hard to detect early. Many times, women with ovarian cancer have no symptoms or just mild symptoms until the disease is in an advanced stage and hard to treat. Symptoms may include:
- Heavy feeling in pelvis
- Pain in lower abdomen
- Bleeding from the vagina
- Weight gain or loss
- Abnormal periods
- Unexplained back pain that gets worse
- Gas, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite
Treatment is usually surgery followed by treatment with medicines called Chemotherapy.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancy, and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy. According to the American Cancer Society, there is no true test for ovarian cancer. "Several large studies are in progess to learn how best to find ovarian cancer in its earliest stage." Since there is no accurate screening test, "an exploratory surgical procedure called laparotomy is generally required for the definitive diagnosis of ovarian cancer. During this procedure, cysts or other suspicious areas must be removed and biopsied. After the incision is made, the surgeon assesses the fluid and cells in the abdominal cavity. If the lesion is cancerous, the surgeon continues with a process called surgical staging to ascertain how far the cancer has spread."
The exact cause is usually unknown. The disease is more common in industrialized nations, with the exception of Japan. In the United States, females have a 1.4% to 2.5% (1 out of 40-60 women) lifetime chance of developing ovarian cancer. Older women are at highest risk. More than half of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women between 55 and 74 years of age and approximately one quarter of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women between 35 and 54 years of age.
Ovarian cancer usually has a poor Prognosis. It is disproportionately deadly because it lacks any clear early detection or screening test, meaning that most cases are not diagnosed until they have reached advanced stages. More than 60% of patients presenting with this cancer already have stage III or stage IV cancer, when it has already spread beyond the Ovaries. Ovarian cancers shed cells into the naturally occurring fluid within the abdominal cavity. These cells can implant on other abdominal (peritoneal) structures, included the Uterus, urinary Bladder, bowel, lining of the bowel wall and, less frequently, to the lungs. These cells can begin forming new Tumor growths before cancer is even suspected.
More than 50% of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease because no cost-effective screening test for ovarian cancer exists. The 5 year survival rate for all stages is only 35% to 38%. If a diagnosis is made early in the disease, five-year survival rates can reach 90% to 98%.
Diagnosis/Symptoms
How Is Ovarian Cancer Diagnosed? (American Cancer Society)
Ovarian Cancer Has Early Symptoms (American Cancer Society)
Ovarian Cancer Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Ovarian Endometrioid Carcinoma (College of American Pathologists) - Links to PDF
Ovarian Serous Carcinoma (College of American Pathologists) - Links to PDF
Questions and Answers about the CA-125 Test (Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Pathology)
Treatment
How Is Ovarian Cancer Treated? (American Cancer Society)
NCI Issues Clinical Announcement for Preferred Method of Treatment for Advanced Ovarian Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
Radiation Therapy for Gynecologic Cancers (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology)
Prevention/Screening
Ovarian Cancer (PDQ): Prevention (National Cancer Institute)
Ovarian Cancer (PDQ): Screening (National Cancer Institute)
Prophylactic Oophorectomy: Preventing Cancer by Surgically Removing Your Ovaries (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Rehabilitation/Recovery
Ovarian Cancer: What Happens After Treatment? (American Cancer Society)
Additional Resources & Information
Detailed Guide: Ovarian Cancer American Cancer Society
