Historically, ovarian cancer has been
called the "silent killer" because symptoms often become apparent
only when the cancer has spread and is harder to treat.
However, recent medical studies show
symptoms often do exist for ovarian cancer, even in its early stages. The most
common include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling
full quickly, and urinary symptoms, such as the need to go urgently or frequently.
Trouble is, these symptoms are
relatively common and associated with a number of different health problems,
from irritable bowel syndrome to urinary tract infections. They are more likely
to be due to other, less serious problems.
But if you have these symptoms almost
daily for more than a few weeks, report them to your health care professional
right away.
When ovarian cancer is found early,
while it is still confined to the ovary, about 93% of patients live longer than
5 years after diagnosis. Unfortunately, only about 20% of ovarian cancers are
found at this early stage.
See a doctor if you have persistent
symptoms like the ones described above, and get regular women’s health exams.
While most early ovarian tumors are difficult for even the most skilled doctor
to feel during a pelvic exam, an exam may help identify other cancers or
gynecologic conditions. Women should discuss the need for these exams with
their doctor.
In addition to paying attention to
symptoms and getting regular exams, there are steps women can take to protect
themselves from ovarian cancer:
Know your family
history. About 10% to 15% of ovarian cancers result from an inherited genetic
tendency to develop the disease. Have candid conversations with your relatives
about the health problems that run in your family (especially breast, ovarian,
and colon cancers), and discuss your family history with your doctor. You may
need closer follow-up, depending on your situation.
Eat a healthy diet
to help control weight, since being very overweight (obese) may raise ovarian
cancer rise. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, as
well as several servings of whole grain foods from plant sources such as
breads, cereals, grain products, rice, pasta, or beans. Limit the intake of red
meat and processed meats.
Get regular
physical activity as another way to help control your weight.
Limit alcohol
consumption to no more than 1 drink per day. Alcohol use is linked to an
increased risk of a certain type of ovarian cancer.
·
Exploratory Surgery : This surgery is performed for
confirming the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
·
Ultrasound : High-frequency sound waves are produced
in order to get precise images of the structures inside the body.
·
Blood Tests : CA 125 blood test is performed for
those women who are suspected of having ovarian cancer or previously had
ovarian cancer. This blood test helps in detecting a protein antigen that can
be found at abnormally high levels in the blood serum of those women who have
ovarian cancer.
·
Positron Emission Tomographic Scan (PET) : This test helps in
defining those areas that altered blood supply and also helps in identifying cancer.
·
Upper G.I. and Lower G.I. Scopy : It helps in ruling
out the primary cancer present in G.I. tract.
·
CT scan : This helps in generating two
dimensional images of the body that may show whether the cancer has spread.
·
Mammography : Metastatic tumors can be ruled out with
this test.
·
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) : Magnetic energy is
used for generating highly detailed images of the anatomy such as tumors.
Three
types of surgeries are involved in treating ovarian cancer such as :–
·
Laparoscopy : Gynaeoncologist perform laparotomy
through a large abdominal incision, most often removing your ovaries, uterus,
fallopian tubes, nearby lymph glands, a fold of fatty tissue called the omentum
and as much of the tumor as possible.
·
Frozen Section Tissue Analysis : The rapid analysis of
the tissue is done under a microscope. The nature of the tumor is determined as
whether it is cancerous or non-cancerous that also helps surgeons to perform a
suitable procedure during the first surgery.
·
Laparotomy : This procedure is used by making a
large abdominal incision. This incision is done for removing uterus, ovaries,
Fallopian tubes surrounding lymph glands, omentum (a fold of fatty tissue) and
tumor. Cytoreductive or debulking surgery is another name for this surgery.
Chemotherapy
After
surgery, you'll most likely be treated with chemotherapy - drugs designed to
kill any remaining cancer cells. Chemotherapy may also be used as the initial
treatment in some women with advanced ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy drugs can be
administered in a vein (intravenously) or injected directly into the abdominal
cavity, or both methods of administering the drugs can be used. Chemotherapy
drugs can be given alone or in combination.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells. The use of radiation therapy to
treat ovarian cancer has declined in recent years, but Gyneconcologist use it
in certain cases, such as when patient have a recurrence of cancer at the
original site or if she can't tolerate chemotherapy. Gyneconcologist may use whole
abdominal radiation to treat ovarian cancer that remains or recurs in the
abdomen.
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