September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of cancers among women, and typically occurs in Caucasian women over 65.
It is estimated that in 2016, about 22,280 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and about 14,240 women will die from this cancer, which ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women.
A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about one in 75, with her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer about one in 100. Women with close relatives who have had ovarian cancer (or breast cancer) have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer when compared to other women.
Early symptoms of ovarian cancer include:
☆ Pain in the pelvis
☆ Pain on the lower side of the body
☆ Pain in the lower stomach
☆ Back pain
☆ Indigestion or heartburn
☆ Feeling full rapidly when eating
☆ More frequent and urgent urination
☆ Pain during sexual intercourse
☆ Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
As the cancer progresses, other symptoms may occur such as nausea, weight loss, breathlessness, tiredness and loss of appetite.
After the diagnostic tests are done, one or more treatments will be recommended, such as surgery, chemotherapy, hormone, targeted or radiation therapy.
Looking to the future
The rate at which women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been slowly falling over the past 20 years as scientists continue to study the genes responsible for familial ovarian cancer. This research is beginning to yield certain clues, which could lead to new drugs for preventing and treating familiar ovarian cancer.
Research in this area has already led to better ways to detect high-risk genes and assess a woman’s ovarian cancer risk.