Ovarian Cancer Prognosis

If you are experiencing weeks of bloating, need to urinate frequently, changes in eating and abdominal or pelvic pain – any of these symptoms or a combination – could be a type of early ovarian cancer, say experts.
“There was a myth according to which there are no symptoms of ovarian cancer and that’s nothing you can do about it. But is not true,” said Dr. Barbara Goff, a specialist at Washington University.
There is no early detection test and a pelvic exam is considered the main way to detect ovarian cancer.
Experts claim that a woman should consult their doctor immediately if they encounter every day for at least three weeks with these symptoms:

- Flatulence
- Abdominal or pelvic pain
- Poor nutrition or fast saturated sensation
- urgent or frequent urination

“But this symptom guide is problematic,” said Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecological cancer society.
Many women with these symptoms may have an irritable bowel rather than ovarian cancer. Also, there is a high accuracy tests to confirm the existence of cancer at a level so early, which raises a problem: treating these symptoms as an indication of a hundred percent sure of ovarian cancer may lead to biopsy or specific treatments that could do more harm than good.
Experts have nevertheless decided to make this announcement because sudden appearance of these symptoms in a healthy woman could be an important clue.
A correct assessment includes questions about the existence of family of breast or ovarian cancer or if the patient has genetic mutations associated with presenting symptoms.
Women should initially consult a gynecologist and then an expert in ovarian cancer followed by ultrasound, blood tests and palpation. Unfortunately, none of them is an extraordinary accuracy. Especially blood test can be problematic.
Survival rate is much higher if the cancer is discovered early, but only one of five cases is detected early.

Treatment varies from one patient to another depending on the stage where the disease is diagnosed, your age and general state of his condition. Physicians have three therapeutic methods to fight ovarian cancer:
- Surgery: Surgery for resection of the tumor is the main method of treatment in ovarian cancer. It has diagnostic role because the resected piece is sent to the anatomic-pathological examination to indicate the type of tumor, growth stage and lymph node metastases.
- Chemotherapy, relying on the use of drugs that once placed in circulation will kill cancer cells. It is used in most cases the therapy helpful after surgery.
- Radiation therapy: This therapy uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink the tumor.

Disease progression:

Because each woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has its peculiarities, it is difficult to make a general prognosis. Ovarian cancer is one of the diseases for which early detection is essential for effective treatment. If the disease is diagnosed and treated early, when not exceeded ovary cancer survival rate at 5 years is 90%. Unfortunately, because of nonspecific symptoms, which hardly points in early stages of the disease, only 19% of all cases are detected at onset. If disease was diagnosed in stage III or late, survival rate drops dramatically to below 29%.

While the presence of one or more risk factors increases the risk of ovarian cancer, it does not necessarily mean that the individual will develop the condition. Risk factors include:

- Genetic predisposition;

- Personal or family history of cancer of the ovary, breast or colon;

- Advanced age;

- Infertility.

Pap test does not detect ovarian cancer. These tests are used for this purpose:

* Vaginal exam annually for women older than 18 years and rectovaginal exam for people over 35 years.
* Abdominal ultrasound: is used as a method of screening for this disease. This method is non-invasive, painless, inexpensive, and can visualize the tumor.
* Transvaginal ultrasound is used especially in cases with increased risk of ovarian cancer and in situations where higher accuracy is required in visualising the tumor.
* Blood tests for measurement of tumor markers (CA-125). These tests are not specific, because there are other diseases besides ovarian cancer that can induce the growth of these markers. At the same time some ovarian cancers may not produce enough CA-125 to induce Positive test.
* If one of these tests is positive will be further investigated by performing imaging methods such as tomography or MRI and will take samples of abdominal fluid or biopsy of the tumor.

The ovarian cancer isn’t early undiagnosed because its symptoms are not specific and the trip to the doctor is so much delayed. Onset symptoms are very commonly associated with other diseases, sometimes trivial, so the suspicion of ovarian cancer is unusual. Unfortunately, this makes the healing and therapeutic possibilities to be more restrained because patients go to hospital in advanced stages when symptoms of tumor growth data are worse and have a greater ill alarm.
Typically, ovarian cancer is unilateral, that affect only one ovary, so that normal functions are taken over by the other ovary, which enables the tumor to develop silently, without evidence of disease. Early diagnosis is essential to capture the disease at the onset and increase chances of cure, so it is very important to recognize the signs of the disease.

Listed below are some ovarian cancer symptoms you should consider:

1. Constant pain or cramps in the lower abdomen are frequently accused in ovarian cancer. They are due to tumor growth and inflammation that cause compression of the affected ovary.
2. Feeling of pressure or pain, of average intensity, in the pelvis or lumbar region. Inflammation occurs in the area surrounding the tumor and compression of organs in the vicinity. Sometimes it can feel “full” weight or bloating in the pelvic region, sometimes it can be perceived as an embarrassment.
3. Vaginal bleeding outside the periods of menstruation may be present. Bleeding can be from a few drops of blood at a moderate bleeding, and sometimes you can see a secretion of mucus with bloody streaks.
4. Sex is painful sometimes and sometimes can cause bleeding.
5. You can experience an enlargement of the abdomen with distension and bloating, due to edema and inflammation. Sometimes the tumor is touched and its development may materialize by weight gain.
6. Intestinal problems are common with intestinal irritation by the tumor and the appearance of transit disorders, constipation or diarrhea, which is strong to treatment.
7. Loss of appetite, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting, can lead to weight loss.
8. Lack of energy, general malaise and fatigue.
9. Frequent urination due to bladder compression.

If you noticed any of symptoms, it does not mean you necessarily have ovarian cancer. But go to a doctor for investigations.
Early detection of cancer offers a cure rate of 90%. Sadly, though, the lack of symptoms makes the disease to locally spread or get metastasized in 75% of cases before it gets diagnosed. When it is detected too late, most patients die within five years.

A woman can inherit a genetic risk of ovarian cancer on line maternity or paternity, especially if a 1st degree relative (mother, father, brother, sister) has or had ovarian cancer, breast, colon or prostate . Moreover, women with a strong family history of ovarian cancer are more likely to develop this type of cancer at younger ages (under 50).  Studies have shown that inheritance of a defect in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes increases a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer by 10% to 40%. Normally these genes are designed to prevent cancer cells, but if a person inherits the genes that have mutated, she becomes more susceptible to breast or ovarian cancer development.

We know for sure:

* All women have a lower or higher risk for this condition;

* Symptoms exist – they are vague and nonspecific at first, but become more obvious with time;

* Early detection of ovarian cancer increases the chances of survival;

* Pap test does not detect ovarian cancer.

To date,  an efficient method of preventing the ovarian cancer is not known. Recommendations on lifestyle, diet rational stress reduction are also valid in this case, but these are non-specific risk factors for cancer, and their contribution to the emergence of different types of cancer has been proved by many studies.

There are certain methods that have proven that women can reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer.

These include:

- Oral contraceptives:  several studies have shown that contraceptive pills reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, especially among women who use them for several years;

- Breastfeeding and pregnancy: the birth of one or more children, especially if the first pregnancy occurs under the age of 25 years and breastfeeding are protective factors for ovarian cancer and lower risk of such ailments;

- Tubal ligation: this is a surgery in which the fallopian tubes are ligated to prevent pregnancy. It was noted that this procedure reduces the relative risk of developing ovarian cancer. It is used especially for those with a high risk of ovarian cancer and only after a discussion with the practitioner.

- Hysterectomy: this surgical technique has shown the the risk reduction for ovarian cancer, but this intervention is not only for reducing the risk of ovarian cancer. If this surgery is necessary for valid medical reasons and if the person has a family history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer, or the person has more than 40 years, it may consider a simultaneous bilateral oophorectomy with hysterectomy surgery.

- Prophylactic oophorectomy: means the surgical removal of one or both ovaries. It has well established indications, addressing only the people with a very high risk of cancer. The surgery removes the risk of ovarian cancer, but not the risk of a less common type of cancer called primary peritoneal carcinoma, which is similar in presentation and treatment of ovarian cancer spreading.