Ovarian Cancer

Symptoms and treatment of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a highly treatable disease when it’s caught early. Unfortunately, it’s usually not detected until the disease has already been present for a long time, because ovarian cancer symptoms in the beginning are mild and can easily be chalked up to other health issues, especially among those of retirement age. There is no X-ray, mammogram-like test, blood test or any other exam that can always detect ovarian cancer in the beginning stages, but ovarian cancer symptoms are there. The trick is noticing them and seeing a doctor for a diagnosis.

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

Ovarian cancer is known as a silent killer, because often by the time there are unmistakable symptoms, the disease is in the advanced stages and has spread. Though the majority of women with ovarian cancer experience symptoms in the very early stages of the disease, many don’t seek treatment because the symptoms can be caused by many non-serious things. Possible ovarian cancer symptoms include:

• Bloating and abdominal swelling
• Pain or pressure in the pelvic area, a feeling of fullness
• Gas, indigestion, nausea
• Changes in bathroom habits or bowel movements
• Vaginal bleeding and / or discharge
• Pain during sex
• Back pain
• Breathing problems that don’t have another cause

If you have one or two of these symptoms, don’t panic. That large dinner you had last night could have caused you to have trouble zipping up your pants today, and a variety of things can cause back pain – they’re not necessarily ovarian cancer symptoms. But if the symptoms persist – if you’re bloated or you have back pain for two weeks, for instance – see a doctor immediately. While it might be frightening to consider that you might have ovarian cancer, if you look into now, you’ll have an excellent chance of being cured.

Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Surgery is used to remove the ovarian cancer and diseased organs. The surgery is typically a complete hysterectomy. Then either chemotherapy or radiation are used to destroy any cancer cells remaining after surgery to prevent the disease from taking hold again and spreading. After the surgery, the doctor will have an idea of the size of the tumors and where they were located exactly, so the stage of the disease can be determined. How far the ovarian cancer has advanced and the size of the tumors will determine the course of radiation or chemotherapy to be used.