Know Your Risk For Ovarian Cancer

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Ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and abdomen.  At this late stage, ovarian cancer is difficult to treat and is often fatal.  It is not clear what causes ovarian cancer, but the type of cell where the cancer begins determines the type of ovarian cancer you have.  Ovarian cancer types include:

  1. Epithelial tumors begin in the thin layer of tissue that covers the outside of the ovaries – most ovarian cancers are epithelial tumors
  2. Germ cell tumors tend to occur in younger women
  3. Stromal tumors begin in the ovarian tissue that produces the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone

Knowing Your Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer

Certain factors may increase your risk of ovarian cancer.  Having one or more of these risk factors doesn't mean that you're sure to develop ovarian cancer, but your risk may be higher than that of the average woman.  Risk factors for ovarian cancer include:

  • Inherited gene mutations: the genes known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer are called breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2)
  • Family history of ovarian cancer: if women in your family have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you have an increased risk of the disease
  • A previous cancer diagnosis: if you've been diagnosed with cancer of the breast, colon, rectum or uterus, your risk of ovarian cancer is increased
  • Increasing age: your risk of ovarian cancer increases as you age
  • Never having been pregnant: women who have never been pregnant have an increased risk of ovarian cancer
  • Hormone replacement therapy for menopause: no consensus exists for this yet

Screening for ovarian cancer includes:

·         Pelvic examination

·         Ultrasound

·         Biopsy

·         CA-125 blood test (can test for ovarian cancer but is often not conclusive)

In addition, there are four main symptoms that may indicate for ovarian cancer:

1.       extreme fatigue

2.       bloating and/or feeling full quickly when eating

3.       bowel issues, which can include constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain or digestive problems

4.       and bladder issues such as the need to urinate frequently

Many women are unaware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer, so education and awareness are of utmost importance.  Only 19% of cases are discovered in the early stages.  About 220,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer a year compared to about 22,000 who will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  The mortality rate is about 15,000 a year for ovarian cancer because there is no screening test; a pap test for cervical cancer doesn't tell you about ovarian cancer.  Catching the disease early is important as 70% of those diagnosed die within 5 years.