Ovarian Cancer: What you need to know!

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal disease in gynecology. The disease is labeled a “silent killer” because its symptoms are frequently linked to certain problems affecting women, and the majority of cases are identified too late because the disease has advanced to a late stage.

Most of these cancers arise in women post-menopause. But gynecological cancers can still strike women before menopause.

Signs of cancer, especially gynecological cancers, may be ambiguous and close to those of other conditions. Only breast and cervical cancers may be identified by testing. So, knowing these signs and talking to your gynecologist or primary care provider will improve the odds of detecting cancer early when it is more treatable.

There are 10 signs of cancer that any woman should be watching for:

1. Abnormal vaginal bleeding.
2. Unexplained weight loss.
3. Vaginal discharge colored with blood.
4. Constant fatigue.
5. Loss of appetite or feeling full all the time.
6. Pain in the pelvis or abdominal area.
7. Changes in your bathroom habits.
8. Persistent indigestion or nausea.
9. Change in bowel habits
10. Changes in your breasts.

Having either of these signs does not mean that you have cancer. But if it lasts more than two weeks, you have to see your doctor and check it out.

That is why it is important to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and the need for early diagnosis. Gina Mantia-Smaldone, MD, a gynecologist at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, talked about what women need to know about this disease.

Numbers

Ovarian cancer is not a common disease; only about 2% of the population or 22,530 women were diagnosed in 2018. However, ovarian cancer has resulted in more deaths than any other female reproductive system cancer, with 13,980 women expected to die from their disease in 2018.

Risk Factors

Family background is one of the most significant risk factors for ovarian cancer. Women with a single first-or second-degree family member with ovarian cancer have a three-fold elevated chance of ovarian cancer. Many risk factors shall include:

• A strong family history of either ovarian cancer, or breast cancer alone
• Confirmed genetic mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2
• Lynch syndrome

Women should talk to their family members and share their family history with their doctors. Genetic tests should be done to provide people with information that may help them make more wise decisions about their wellbeing.

Prevention and Screening

Unlike cervical cancer – which can be avoided with the HPV vaccine – there is no vaccination that can avoid ovarian cancer.

“For this reason, clinicians have to rely on screening techniques like transvaginal ultrasound, pelvic exams, and CA125, which are useful in helping to catch the disease early,” Mantia-Smaldone said.

For those at high risk of contracting ovarian cancer, prophylactic surgery is the safest and cost-effective treatment procedure for ovarian cancer. Ovaries and fallopian tubes are eliminated during this process, resulting in a risk reduction of more than 90 percent in females with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and almost 100 percent in ladies with Lynch syndrome.

“It’s recommended that women at highest risk for ovarian cancer consider prophylactic surgery around the age of 35, or after they’re finished having children,” Mantia-Smaldone said. “Screening with transvaginal ultrasound and CA125 is typically used until patients are ready to commit to prophylactic surgery.”

Other Risk-Reducing Behaviors

Oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, breastfeeding, and tubal ligation have both been reported as preventive factors against ovarian cancer and should be considered in women at any risk of ovarian cancer.

Mantia-Smaldone said that the overall incidence of ovarian cancer has decreased in recent years and by educating all women, especially those at increased risk for disease, “perhaps we can stop this disease before it destroys more lives.”

Reference: https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/cancer-symptoms-women.h17-1589046.html

https://www.foxchase.org/blog/why-ovarian-cancer-awareness-is-so-important