Ovarian Cancer - The Frightening Diagnosis!

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 15,280 women die every year in the United States from ovarian cancer. Despite this, the 5-year survival rate for ovarian cancer has improved significantly in the last 30 years. The prognosis of ovarian cancer is closely related to the stage at diagnosis. No approved screening method is available for ovarian cancer.

The Mayo Clinic has one of the largest ovarian cancer practices in the North America, treating more than 1,200 persons in 2006 who had a principal or secondary diagnosis of cancer of the ovaries. Mayo Clinic uses a great variety of imaging techniques to detect ovarian cancer, including PET scans, CT scans and MRIs.

WOMEN: Cancer of the ovaries is the seventh most common cancer in women in the United States, with over 25,000 women newly diagnosed each year with this disease. It is the fifth leading cause of deaths by cancer in women and frequently does not result in symptoms until the cancer is morely widely spread. Only about 20% of patients are diagnosed early, when the disease may be curable. Ovarian cancer usually occurs in women over 50, but it can also affect younger women. About 90 percent of women who get ovarian cancer are over the age of 40, with the greatest number being aged 55 years or more.

RISK: All women are at risk for ovarian cancer, but older women are more likely to get the disease than those who are younger. The precise cause of cancer of the ovaries is unknown, but several risk and contributing factors have been identified. Women who have been pregnant have a 50% less risk for developing ovarian cancer compared with women who have not. Oral contraceptive use decreases the risk of cancer of the ovaries. These factors support the belief that risk for ovarian cancer is related to ovulation and that conditions that suppress this ovulatory cycle play a protective role.

Genetic factors and Family history plays an important part in the risk of developing ovarian cancer also. A history of breast cancer increases a person's risk of developing ovarian cancer. The lifetime risk for developing ovarian cancer is 1%. This compares to a 4-5 percent chance when 1 first-degree family member is affected, rising to 7% when 2 relatives are affected.

DISEASE: Early disease causes minimal, nonspecific, or no symptoms. The disease is uncommon in patients younger than 40 years, after which the incidence increases. Based on the surgical staging, patients are classified as having limited disease (stage I and II) or advanced disease (stage III and IV). Patients with limited disease are classified as having low or high risk for recurrence as follows: Low risk for recurrence includes the following; Grade 1 or 2 disease, No tumor on external surface of the ovary, Negative peritoneal cytology, No ascites, Tumor growth confined to the ovaries.

High risk for recurrence includes the following, Grade 3 disease, Preoperative rupture of the capsule, Tumor on the external surface of the ovary, Positive peritoneal cytology, Ascites Tumor growth outside of the ovary, Clear cell tumors, Surgical stage II for postoperative treatment. chemotherapy is indicated in all patients with ovarian cancer except those patients with surgical-pathological stage I disease with low-risk characteristics.

SYMPTOMS: can include a Heavy feeling in pelvis, Pain in lower abdomen, vaginal bleeding, Weight gain or loss, Abnormal periods, Back pain for unknown reasons that gets worse, Gas, Nausea, Vomiting, or Decreased appetite. Symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know for sure is to see your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional.

Traditionally, it was believed that ovarian cancer does not produce any characteristic symptoms until the tumor has metatasized, and that early signs of cancer of the ovaries were not recognizable. However, in June 2007, the American Cancer Society, along with other medical societies including the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, released a consensus statement about possible early symptoms of cancer of the ovaries. This statement was based on research indicating that some of the early symptoms of cancer of the ovaries can, in fact, be recognized.

TREATMENT: Treatment is usually surgery followed by treatment with chemotherapy drugs. There are also many combinations of these treatment methods and it is often worthwhile to get a second opinion about treatment before entering into a specific program. The greater the knowledge you have, the easier it is to make decisions about your personal treatment plan. Arlene Dunlop is a breast and ovarian cancer survivor whose treatments have kept her well and out enjoying life.

Conclusion: Cancer of the ovaries actually represents a group of different tumors that arise from diverse types of tissue contained within the ovary. Ovarian cancer can invade, shed, or metastasized to other organs. A malignant ovarian tumor can grow and invade organs next to the ovaries, such as the fallopian tubes and uterus. Ovarian cancer often produces signs and symptoms, so it is important for women to pay close attention to their bodies and know what is normal for it.

Ovarian cancer most often appears in women who are older than 60 (about 50 percent of patients are over age 65), although it may occur in younger females who have a family history of the disease. Cancer of the ovaries is the most common cause of cancer death from gynecologic tumors in the US. Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in about 23,000 female in the United States per year. Cancer of the ovaries is a frightening diagnosis, but coming to it with knowledge and information helps a great deal. The sooner ovarian cancer is found and treated, the greater the chance for recovery.