Ovarian Cancer - What Is It?

Ovarian cancer is a common type of cancer that consists of cancerous growths on or around the ovary. Due to the organs that are affected, the illness is only present among women and features symptoms such as bloating, pelvic pain, constant urination, and decreased hunger. It is the second most common form of gynecological cancers, with just over eighty thousand patients being diagnosed with it each year.

Because of the subtle and common nature of the condition's symptoms, they're occasionally mistaken for symptoms of other diseases. This, along with the fact that most women do not experience any significant symptoms at all, usually leads to the condition not being diagnosed quickly enough. It is common practice to advice anyone who is complaining of regular constipation, stomach pain, or bloating to visit their physician as quickly as possible. If it is not diagnosed and treated in time, the disease can lead to more drastic issues such as colon obstructions and painful fluid in the pelvic area.

Because the disease is so common and life threatening, the American Cancer Society and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists put together some helpful pamphlets about its symptoms so women could be more informed. The statement stresses the importance of annual checkups and taking any one of the illness's four most common symptoms very seriously.

When ovarian cancer is properly diagnosed in its early stages, it is nearly ninety percent curable but that percentage drops dramatically as time goes on so it is very important for women to listen to their body.

As of now, the exact cause of the disease isn't yet known but there are a number of mitigating factors that can put you at a higher risk of contracting it. Examples of higher risk patients include women over the age of forty, those with relatives who suffer from the disease, those who have never given birth, and those who have undergone postmenopausal hormonal replacement therapies. Many of the factors such as infertility, endomorphisms, and other types of cancers can be linked to genetics.

However, those who give birth to more babies, have their babies earlier in life, take certain contraceptive pills, and undergo tubal ligation surgeries are at a much lower risk of ever getting ovarian cancer.

As with any other form of cancer, the sooner that this particular disease is caught the better off a person will be towards making a total recovery, though due to the lack of official early screening tests, the disease unfortunately has a poor long-term prognosis. Roughly sixty percent of all girls who receive a diagnosis will be in stage four or three of the condition already.

A physician with a woman who is presenting with certain symptoms will quickly check for any other signs of this condition. This includes an in-depth pelvic exam, blood tests, and abdominal ultrasounds. If they find enough signs to unveil that a cancerous growth is there, they will then do an exploratory procedure in order to confirm it.