Subscribe to Health UpdatesSymptoms Linked to Onset of Ovarian Cancer
June 13, 2007 05:48 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
New findings promise better outcomes for patients through the early diagnosis of a cancer previously thought to strike without warning.
30 Second Summary
About 1 in every 55 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the course of her life.
Though it is much less common than breast cancer, which afflicts 1 in 8 women, the mortality rate for ovarian cancer is disproportionately high. In fact, ovarian cancer is the fifth deadliest cancer among women––after lung, breast, colon, and pancreatic forms of the disease.
The problem is that ovarian cancer is normally detected only at an advanced stage, when it has started to spread.
Now doctors for the first time have identified early-stage symptoms: bloating; pelvic or abdominal pain; difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and a frequent or urgent need to urinate.
Women who experience any of these problems every day for two or three weeks should see a gynecologist, if such symptoms are not consistent with their normal state of health.
At present, a mere 19% of cases are diagnosed in time for the cancer to be removed while it is still confined to the ovary. Doctors hope the new recommendations will help improve that figure.
Though it is much less common than breast cancer, which afflicts 1 in 8 women, the mortality rate for ovarian cancer is disproportionately high. In fact, ovarian cancer is the fifth deadliest cancer among women––after lung, breast, colon, and pancreatic forms of the disease.
The problem is that ovarian cancer is normally detected only at an advanced stage, when it has started to spread.
Now doctors for the first time have identified early-stage symptoms: bloating; pelvic or abdominal pain; difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and a frequent or urgent need to urinate.
Women who experience any of these problems every day for two or three weeks should see a gynecologist, if such symptoms are not consistent with their normal state of health.
At present, a mere 19% of cases are diagnosed in time for the cancer to be removed while it is still confined to the ovary. Doctors hope the new recommendations will help improve that figure.
Headline
Doctors hope that by raising awareness of symptoms among doctors and patients that they will save, or at least, prolong lives. “We don’t want to scare people, but we also want to arm people with the appropriate information,” said a spokeswoman for the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation. Reprinted from the New York Times.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Need to Know
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) covers all the issues relating to ovarian cancer, from risk factors and symptoms to treatment. The NCI identifies five risk factors: a family history of cancer; a personal history of cancer; being over 55 years of age; never having been pregnant; and menopausal hormone therapy lasting 10 or more years.
Source: The National Cancer Institute
The American Cancer Society offers a Q&A on ovarian cancer, as well as all other common cancers, treatment advice specific to the condition, and links to other sources of information and advice, as well as to support groups.
Source: The American Cancer Society
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) is one of the organizations backing the new diagnostic recommendations.
Source: GCF
The GCF press release announced the first national consensus on ovarian cancer symptoms on June 13, 2007, a list that includes the following: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and an unusual urgency or frequency of urination.
Source: The GCF Press Release
The “consensus statement” on ovarian cancer symptoms lists the warning signs, emphasizing that women with the cancer report that these symptoms are “persistent and represent a change from normal for their bodies.” The statement essentially provides footnotes to the statements made in the press release, as well as a list of originating and endorsing organization.
Source: The GCF Consensus Statement
Women who are concerned about their chances of developing gynecologic cancer should take the risk assessment survey, advise the GCF. The survey is confidential, and provides a customized report detailing approximate risk for breast, ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancer.
Source: Risk Assessment Survey
Reference Material
FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowerment) is a non-profit organization for women whose genetic status or family history indicate an increased risk of cancer.
Source: FORCE
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) devotes a section of its site to advice and the latest news on the treatment of ovarian cancer, a condition that killed 14,657 U.S. women in 2003. A recent report covered by the CDC indicates that current genetic tests for ovarian cancer do not significantly improve survival rates.
Source: The Centers for Disease Control
The National Cancer Institute provides an interactive cancer mortality map of the United States. It illustrates the death rate for various cancers in the U.S. states.
Source: The National Cancer Institute
Related Links
A new treatment for ovarian cancer delivers drugs directly to the abdomen, increasing the life expectancy of patients.
Source: The International Herald Tribune
Unstable DNA may indicate a susceptibility to ovarian and breast cancers, according to this article from September 2006. Doctors believe that the genetic screening of women with a family history of cancer may allow them to identify those most likely to develop the disease in their lifetime. Such screening, if effective, will increase the patients’ chance of survival by allowing diagnoses to be made earlier.
Source: WebMD
Outcomes are worse for ovarian cancer patients who are obese, concluded researchers in late 2006. The problem is not that the overall health of the patients is poorer, though that is certainly the case. The obesity itself appears to make the cancer harder to treat effectively.
Source: The New York Times
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