This cancer can diidap by all women of all ages. But ovarian cancer most often affects women who are experiencing menopause or are generally aged 50 years and over.
Types of Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer can be categorized into three types, namely epithelial tumors, stromal tumors and germ cell tumors. The determination of this type of cancer where cells attacked by cancer.
Tumors Epithelial ovarian cancer is the type that occurs when cancer cells invade tissue that encloses the ovary. Approximately 9 out of 10 cases of ovarian cancer are of this type.
While stromal tumors arise when cancer cells invade tissues that contain cells that produce hormones. This type of cancer, including rare and affects only an estimated 7 among 100 patients with ovarian cancer.
If the cancer cells attack the cells that produce eggs, is called a germ cell tumor. These types of ovarian cancer is more common in young women.
Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer including the types of diseases that are difficult to identify. Ovarian cancer in its early stages rarely cause symptoms. If there are any, symptoms tend calculated from other diseases (such as constipation or irritable bowel) that is often only detected when the disease has spread in the body.
Therefore, it is important for you to be aware of some of the symptoms that are commonly experienced by patients with ovarian cancer. Among others are:
- Swelling in the abdomen.
- Belly always feels bloated.
- Stomach ache.
- Weight loss.
- Satiety.
- Nausea.
- Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation.
- The frequency of urination increases.
- Pain during sex.
Make sure you see a doctor if you feel any of these symptoms, especially those who frequently experienced or do not get better. Do not underestimate indications of disease despite feels or looks trivial.
Causes and Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer
Just like cancer in general, the causes of ovarian cancer are not known with certainty. But experts suspect there are several factors that can increase a woman's risk for this cancer. These risk factors include:
- Age. Ovarian cancer tends to occur in women aged 50 years and over.
- Heredity and genetics. Your risk for developing ovarian cancer increases if there are biological family members who develop ovarian cancer or breast cancer. So is the owner of the BRCA1 and BRCA2.
- Estrogen hormone replacement therapy, especially long-term and high dose.
- Suffering from endometriosis.
- Never pregnant.
- Having menstrual periods before age 12 years and menopause after age 50 years.
- Undergoing fertility treatment process.
- Smoke.
- Using the contraceptive IUD.
Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Process
After asking the symptoms experienced, family medical history and perform a physical examination, the doctor will recommend a more detailed examination. The process usually includes an ultrasound, blood tests and biopsies.
Your doctor may recommend an ultrasound abdomen and around the sex organs. This step will help the doctor to examine the shape, size, and structure of your ovaries.
While a blood test done to detect the presence of the protein CA 125 in the blood. High levels of CA 125 can indicate ovarian cancer. But this can not be the sole criterion for CA 125 can also be increased as a result of other conditions such as fibroids in the uterus and not all ovarian cancer patients have high levels of CA 125.
If the process shows you a positive diagnosis of ovarian cancer, the next step is to find out the stage and development of your cancer. This process generally includes a CT or MRI scan, chest X-rays, and biopsy procedure to take fluid samples and ovarian tissue of the abdominal cavity.
Knowing the stage of cancer that you have suffered will help doctors to determine the best treatment for your step. In general, the stage of ovarian cancer is divided into four categories which include:
- Stage 1: The cancer only affects one or both ovaries but has not spread to other organs.
- Stage 2: The cancer has spread from the ovaries to the tissue around the pelvis.
- Stage 3: The cancer has spread to the lining of the stomach, intestine surface, and lymph nodes in the pelvis.
- Stage 4: The cancer had already spread to other parts of the body such as the kidneys, liver, and lungs.
Step Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
Each person with ovarian cancer may require different treatment. This will be determined based on the stage of the cancer, health condition, and your desire to have children. The main steps in the treatment of ovarian cancer are surgery and chemotherapy.
The operation procedure usually involves removal of both ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, and omentum (fatty tissue in the abdomen). This operation can also involve the removal of lymph nodes in the pelvic and abdominal cavity to prevent and find out if there is a spread of cancer. With the lifting of both ovaries and the uterus, your chances of having a child would disappear.
Yet another case with ovarian cancer is detected at an early stage. Patients may only undergo surgical removal of one ovary and fallopian tube so it is likely to have offspring could have remained there.
After surgery, the doctor will schedule the process of chemotherapy. This was done to kill the cancer cells remaining. Examples of commonly used drugs are sometimes also carboplatin in combination with paclitaxel. During chemotherapy, the doctor will monitor your progress on a regular basis in order to ensure the effectiveness of the drug and your body's response to drugs.
Chemotherapy is also sometimes given before surgery in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. This step serves shrink the tumor so as to facilitate the appointment procedure.
As with other drugs, chemotherapy process also has the potential to cause side effects. Some of them are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hair loss, and increased risk of infection.
Prognosis For Ovarian Cancer
The earlier ovarian cancer is detected and addressed, your chances of survival will increase. Positive patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer is estimated to have the possibility to survive for one year is about 70-75 percent. There are more than 45 percent of ovarian cancer patients who survive at least five years and 35 percent over 10 years.
People with advanced ovarian cancer generally can not be cured and the goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms and encourage tumors to enter a period of remission.
Ovarian Cancer Prevention
Because the cause is unknown, prevention of ovarian cancer can not be done with certainty. However, there are some things that can lower your risk of cancer, particularly methods that can stop the process of ovulation. Such measures include:
- Using contraceptives in pill form. Taking the Pill for five years proven to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by half.
- Through pregnancy and lactation.
- Applying a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid obesity. For example, regular exercise and having a healthy diet and balanced.
If you have a high risk of ovarian cancer, surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes before cancer can also be done to minimize your risk. This procedure is usually recommended at age 35 to 40 years or when you decide to do not want to have children again.
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