Ovarian Cancer

What is Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow on one or both ovaries and mostly affects women who have already gone through menopause. Like other types of cancer, ovarian cancer cells form to create tumors that are found on the ovaries inside a women’s body. It can be successfully treated if found in its early stages, but ovarian cancer is normally diagnosed after it has spread to other parts of the body. The most common form of ovarian cancer is called epithelial cancer and it is the fifth most common cancer in women in America.

Ovarian Cancer Statistics

Over 20000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and most of the time it has already had a chance to metastasize throughout other organs. There are about 15000 deaths a year from ovarian cancer, which makes it the fifth most common cancer in women. About 9 out of every 100,000 women in America currently have or have had ovarian cancer and the median age range for ovarian cancer patients is 70 years of age. Ovarian cancer mostly affects women that are Caucasian or African American and Hispanics are the least affected by this cancer.

Causes of Ovarian Cancer

Like many types of cancer, the exact cause is unknown. Instead physicians look at many different risk factors and many women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer usually have many of the various risk factors. Being a woman is a major risk factor, especially since men cannot develop ovarian cancer. Older women are also at higher risk, but women who had a child when they were older are at lower risk. Several other risk factors have been studied in many different cases, including milk, talc and even having mumps as a child.

What are the Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer?

Most women with early stages of ovarian cancer are not aware of their symptoms and it used to be believed that no symptoms were present until the cancer had spread to the point that it was incurable. Because the symptoms are very common in women with other conditions such as bladder infections or menopause, it is sometimes difficult for women to acknowledge that there is a chance they have cancer. Some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer include bloating, pain in the pelvis or abdomen, feeling full after only eating a small amount of food and problems with urination. When symptoms occur on a daily basis for more than a couple of weeks, women should contact their physician for a cancer screening.

Treatment of Ovarian Cancer

The first treatment considered for ovarian cancer is surgery, but can only be done as long as tumors have not spread to any other organs in the body. Depending on the stage of the cancer, the surgeon may have to remove one or both ovaries, the fallopian tubes and in some cases the uterus. Chemotherapy is also used after surgery to kill off any disease, but not all tumors are affected by chemotherapy. Radiation and chemotherapy are not recommended for those with advanced stages of the cancer, because when vital organs are involved large doses of the drugs cannot be administered.

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