Ovarian Cancer Warning Signs, Symptoms

&  

Chemotherapy Treatment Information

Know The First Warning Signs for Ovarian Cancer and

Reduce Your Risk.

Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common reproductive malignancy, and an estimated 16,210 deaths will occur as a result of the cancerous disease in 2006 in the United States. Ovarian cancer comprises 4% of all cancers in women worldwide, and approximately 100,000 women die annually as a result of the disease.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer

Possible early warning signs and ovarian cancer symptoms are worth noting. Women said that they have experienced the following signs prior to their diagnosis: general abdominal discomfort or pain, loss of appetite, feeling full even after a light meal, weight loss or gain, an increase in abdominal size, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, frequent urination, and abnormal vaginal bleeding. These symptoms can also be caused by a range of other medical problems. Consult your doctor if you experience any of them for more than two weeks.

An annual vaginal and rectal exam, which can detect ovarian masses, is recommended for all women. Those who have suspicious symptoms or a strong family history of ovarian, colon, or breast cancer - a mother, sister, or aunt with these diseases - should get further screening, according to the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society. A blood test for the protein CA125 and a transvaginal ultrasound can detect many, but not all, ovarian cancers. 

Ovarian Cancer Chemotherapy

If surgery fails to remove all of the ovarian tumor, chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is often the next line of defense to destroy the cancerous cells. Although, even if surgery is a success in removing the ovarian cancer tumor, most medical professionals will still recommend the patient undergo ovarian cancer chemotherapy treatment in place of supplements such as cellular zeolite. Ovarian cancer chemotherapy drugs are often used to destroy cancer cells and prevent them from dividing and growing. The drugs used in chemotherapy are usually administerd through the vein or taken orally.

Chemotherapy Side Effects

A down side to ovarian cancer chemotherapy is that normal dividing cells can also be damaged during the procedure. Side effects that may temporally occur in ovarian cancer chemotherapy include; hair loss, fatigue due to low red blood cells, nerve damge and loss of appetite. These side effects will likey diminish when chemotherapy treatment is complete.

New studies have shown that 95 percent of women with ovarian cancer surveyed had some form of warning signs before their diagnosis.

The symptoms they experienced were often vague, and nearly a quarter of the women surveyed ignored their symptoms. Women are often unaware of what constitutes normal physiologic changes with aging as opposed to pathological changes, education of women could greatly impact patient-related delays in diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma.

70 percent of ovarian cancers are FIGO (International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics) stage III/IV at presentation. Survival rates for women with early stage ovarian cancer are 70-90 percent, but for advanced disease, the survival rate is only 20-30 percent. Thus, it seems more likely that early detection of this disease, perhaps by screening, would be far more beneficial.

Previous small studies have shown that most women with ovarian cancer do have symptoms but these often tend not to be gynaecological related. Researchers preformed a new study and sent a survey to 1500 women in the USA and Canada with ovarian cancer. The women were allowed to pass copies of the survey on to others with the disease. In all, 1725 responses were received by the researchers; the rate of response for the original surveys was 88 percent.

77 percent of the women reported that they experienced abdominal symptoms such as bloating. Other symptoms mentioned gastrointestinal problems, lower back pain, and fatigue. Only 11 percent of women with stage I/II ovarian cancer reported no ovarian cancer signs or symptoms. Worryingly, although 55 percent of women were diagnosed within 3 months, for 11 percent diagnosis took longer than 1 year, often because the wrong tests were done.

Signs of Ovarian Cancer These are often non-specific, the most common sign of ovarian cancer is abdominal pain but only 50 percent of woman with ovarian cancer present this....

Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer The majority of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced stage disease. One of the most imperative issues in ovarian cancer is early detection....

Methods of Ovarian Cancer Screening The potential benefit of a screening test for ovarian cancer is the ability to identify the disease in its early stages, when treatment is more likely to be effective....

Stages of Ovarian Cancer The five stages of Ovarian cancer....

Major Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer On the hormonal level, the risk may be directly related to the number of ovulatory cycles in a woman's life. The postulated theory is that the uninterrupted cell division and....

The Causes of Ovarian Cancer are unclear, but genetic and endocrine factors raise the risk. The most significant link is a positive family history, which is present in 10% of women with the disease....

Ruducing Your Risk of Ovarian Cancer Although healthcare providers do not know how to completely prevent the development of ovarian cancer, several strategies reduce the risk of developing the disease....

Survival Rate of Ovarian Cancer Deaths from cervical cancer have plunged by 50 percent since 1971, whereas ovarian cancer deaths have risen by 50 percent....

Facts About Ovarian Cancer Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of female cancer deaths in the United States....

Last updated Jan 09/07