Ovarian Cancer- knowing the facts could save your life

Written by Dr. Alison Gault B. App. Sci. (clinical sci) B. Osteo. Sci.  from Vale Osteopathy Clinic located in Ascot Vale and Pascoe Vale, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Information in this post is from the website for the national breast and ovarian cancer centre.

Symptoms

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and can be similar to the symptoms of many other conditions that can be part of everyday life.

The most common symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer are:

• abdominal bloating/feeling full
• abdominal or back pain
• appetite loss or feeling full quickly
• changes in toilet habits
• unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• indigestion or heartburn
• fatigue.

If any of these symptoms are unusual for you, and they persist, it’s important to see your doctor.  There’s no screening test for ovarian cancer. A Pap test doesn’t detect ovarian cancer. It’s designed to detect cervical cancer.   The best thing you can do is to know your body and be aware of the symptoms of the disease.

If you’re still concerned about a persistent symptom, it’s OK to get a second opinion. Trust your instincts. No one knows your body like you do.

5 things women should know about ovarian cancer

1. Ovarian cancer is not a silent killer

Most women with ovarian cancer experience at least one symptom of the disease in the year prior to their diagnosis.  While these symptoms can be part of everyday life, it’s important to see your doctor if they are unusual for you and they persist.

2. There’s no screening test for ovarian cancer

A Pap test doesn’t detect ovarian cancer. It’s only used to screen for cervical cancer.
You may also have heard of a CA125 blood test for ovarian cancer. This test looks for increased levels of the CA125 protein which may indicate that ovarian cancer is present. However, there are many factors that can affect CA125 levels including menstruation. For this reason, the CA125 test alone cannot be used as a screening or diagnostic test..

3. Even if you don’t have a family history of ovarian cancer, you are still at risk.

While having a family history of ovarian cancer increases your risk, 90–95% of all ovarian cancers occur in women who do not have a family history.   Ovarian cancer can occur in any woman but the risk increases in women over 50 years of age.

4. It’s important to be referred to a gynaecological oncologist

If you’re suspected of having ovarian cancer, you should be referred to a gynaecological oncologist. Research shows survival for women with ovarian cancer is improved when their surgical care is directed by a gynaecological oncologist.

5. No one knows your body like you do

Since there’s no screening test for ovarian cancer, the best thing you can do is get to know your body and what is normal for you so you can recognise any unusual changes.

Some statistics for Ovarian cancer in Australia

Incidence

• Ovarian cancer is the 9th most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women.
• The present life expectancy of Australian women is 84 years. One in 77 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the age of 85.
• In Australia in 2005, a total of 1,205 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It is projected that there will be 1,378 new cases of ovarian cancer in 2010.
• The age-standardised incidence rate of ovarian cancer has remained stable at 12-13 new cases per 100,000 females from 1983 to 2002.
• The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age. About 83% of all new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2005 were in women 50 years or older. The median age of first diagnosis is 64 years.

Mortality

• Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cause of cancer death in Australian women.
• A total of 795 women died from ovarian cancer in Australia in 2006.
• The age-standardised mortality rate of ovarian cancer has decreased from 8.7 per 100,000 in 1983 and to 6.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2006.

Survival

• The five year relative survival rate for Australian women with ovarian cancer during 1998-2004 was 39.8 per cent, compared with 32.7 per cent in 1982-86.

Prevalence

• There were 7,637 women alive in 2004 diagnosed with ovarian cancer during the previous 23 years.

Risk factors for ovarian cancer

Generally, it’s not possible to say what causes ovarian cancer in an individual woman. However, some features are more common among women who have developed ovarian cancer. These features are called risk factors. Having certain risk factors increases a woman’s chance of developing ovarian cancer.

Having one or more risk factors for ovarian cancer doesn’t mean a woman will definitely develop ovarian cancer. In fact, many women with ovarian cancer have no obvious risk factors.

Known risk factors for ovarian cancer include:

• getting older: women who are over 50 are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than younger women
• inheriting a faulty gene (called a gene mutation) that increases the risk of ovarian cancer
• having a strong family history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, or some other cancers, including colorectal cancer and endometrial cancer.

Only around 5–10% of all ovarian cancers are due to inherited factors.

Research suggests that the risk of ovarian cancer is slightly higher for women who:

• have medical conditions such as endometriosis
• use long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• smoke cigarettes
• are obese.

Protective factors for ovarian cancer

There’s currently nothing that can be done to prevent ovarian cancer. However, there are some things that are thought to protect against ovarian cancer. These are called protective factors. Women with protective factors may still develop ovarian cancer.

Research has shown that the following are associated with a reduced risk of certain types of ovarian cancer:

• removal of the uterus (womb)
• removal of the ovaries and having the fallopian tubes tied
• having children
• using oral contraceptives.

Disclaimer: information provided on this post is of a general nature and should not be used in place of individual advice from either myself or another medical professional.  Vale Osteopathy Clinic and Alison Gault will not take responsibility for any injury resulting from following information in this post.

Vale Osteopathy Clinic provides osteopathic services to patients from a wide number of suburbs such as Ascot Vale, Pascoe Vale, Flemington, Melbourne, Australia, Footscray, Maribyrnong, Essendon, Essendon North, Moonee Ponds, Strathmore, Niddrie, Keilor, Coburg, Brunswick, Oak Park, Glenroy, North Melbourne, Avondale Heights, Airport West, Travancore.