DD HEALTH WATCH – OVARIAN CANCER
Ovarian cancer can be devastating. Far too many women are diagnosed too late.
When a woman is diagnosed at the earliest stage, her chance of surviving ovarian cancer for five years or more doubles from just 46 per cent to more than 90 per cent.
Ovarian cancer was the 4th most common cancer diagnosed in women in Ireland between 1994 and 2010, with an average of 376 cases diagnosed annually.
Of these, 55 cases per year, or 15% of all cancers, were categorised as “borderline tumours”, cancers which were, until recently, regarded as invasive but are now recognised as a distinct group, having a low malignant potential.
Ovarian cancer has the lowest survival rate of all gynecologic cancers, and is characterized around the world by a lack of awareness of symptoms and late stage diagnosis.
Many potential symptoms are vague, or extremely common.
- Persistent pelvic or abdominal pain (that’s your tummy and below)
- Increased abdominal size/persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
- Needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual
Symptoms will be:
- Frequent – they usually happen more than 12 times a month
- Persistent – they don’t go away
- New – they are not normal for you and may have started in the last year
Occasionally there can be other symptoms such as changes in bowel habits, extreme fatigue (feeling very tired), unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite.
Any post-menopausal bleeding should always be investigated by a GP.
If you regularly experience any of these symptoms – and they are not normal for you – visit your GP. It is unlikely that your symptoms are caused by a serious problem, but it is important to get checked out.
Women of all ages can get ovarian cancer, although it is far more common as we get older (around 80 per cent of cases occur in women over 50).
Other risk factors can include a family history – if two or more relatives from the same side of your family have had ovarian cancer under the age of 50, or there’s been more than one case of ovarian and breast cancer in your close family, you may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer (though it doesn’t mean you definitely will), as you may have inherited the faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, believed to create a greater chance (35-60 per cent) of developing the disease.
In addition, a rare condition called hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), which runs in families, can slightly increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer (as well as bowel, stomach, colon, pancreatic, biliary and bladder cancer), plus obesity, HRT, smoking, and a history of endometriosis and long menstruation (which could result from starting your periods before the age of 12, going through menopause later than 55 and not having children) have also been linked with possible increased risk.
If you feel you may be at risk of ovarian cancer, first talk to your family doctor (GP) about your concerns.
He or she may advise you to visit a specialist. There are specialist clinics for people worried about the risk of ovarian cancer in their family, some may offer screening or counselling.
Your family doctor will advise on what to do. – See more at: http://www.cancer.ie/
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