What is ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is a type of cancerous growth that develops in the ovary. This disease is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in women around the world. Early-stage ovarian cancer rarely presents any symptoms, but they become more apparent as the disease progresses. Some symptoms are:

• Pressure or pain in the pelvis
• Pain in the abdomen or back
• Bloating or a feeling of fullness
• Changes in urination patterns and bowel habits
• Weight loss

While there is no known cause of ovarian cancer, but there are certain risk factors that can increase one’s chance of developing the disease, such as:

• Age
• Reproductive history
• Being overweight or obese
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Family history
• BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 gene mutation
• Lynch syndrome
• Endometriosis
• Smoking
• Diabetes mellitus

How is ovarian cancer treated?

Early-stage ovarian cancer can be effectively treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy.

But in more advanced cases, doctors recommend chemotherapy before surgery to downstage the disease. The type of surgery depends on how far the ovarian cancer has progressed and the extent of its metastasis. Following surgery, they will again receive adjuvant chemotherapy.

Most women undergo surgeries to remove their uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries and omentum to ensure that all cancerous tissue has been excised from their body. These procedures are known as debulking surgery which involves bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes) and omentectomy.

Talk to your oncologist today for more details on ovarian cancer and its treatment.